John Dingell Undergoes 2 Surgical Procedures in Detroit

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Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, the longest serving member of Congress in U.S. history until his retirement earlier this year, got a new pacemaker at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Thursday.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, his wife and replacement in Michigan’s 12th District, posted on her Facebook page late Thursday afternoon that her husband was “out of surgery and doing OK.”

Doctors inserted a biventricular pacemaker after performing an angiogram that determined the 89-year-old former congressman had not suffered a heart attack. He’s expected to remain in the hospital for at least a couple more days.

Originally, he was scheduled for a second procedure Friday, but doctors “actually decided to go ahead with the second procedure today and get it done.”

News of John Dingell’s hospitalization spread quickly after the longtime dean of the House of Representatives tweeted that “being old sucks” and said he was back in the hospital. As his term was ending last winter, he was hospitalized for several weeks with a fractured hip.

Debbie Dingell also said her husband was “stunned” to learn House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy withdrew his name from consideration to replace John Boehner as speaker of the house.

“... Even in his medicated state (he) was sheer John Dingell and giving everyone near him a government lesson,” Debbie Dingell said.

She succeeded her husband in the 12th District after he announced in early 2014 that he would not seek a 30th term.