GOVERNOR GUINN’S HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED

April 4, 2006

CARSON CITY – Gov. Kenny Guinn’s hip replacement surgery on his right hip this morning at Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas was successfully completed. He is now back in his room, resting comfortably.

First Lady Dema Guinn said, “Kenny came through the surgery beautifully. Hopefully he will be able to be up and around soon without the pain he was feeling before the operation. We are very grateful to Dr. Swanson and the staff at Spring Valley Hospital for their care and attention.”

According to Naomi Jones, spokesperson for Spring Valley Hospital, the operation went very well and there were no complications due to the surgery. Jones said Gov. Guinn will remain at Spring Valley Hospital until this Thursday or Friday, recovering from the operation. The Hospital and Dr. Todd Swanson, who performed the operation, will conduct a news conference on Wednesday, April 5, at 8:15 a.m. in Conference Room B, to discuss the procedure and answer any questions relating to the surgery and recovery period.

Dr. Swanson developed the state-of-the-art procedure used to replace the Governor’s hip, which uses a minimally invasive technique that allows for a quicker recovery of the patient. With x-ray guidance, a surgeon inserts small instruments to remove the damaged ball-and-socket hip and replaces it with a metal-and-plastic implant. Ligaments, muscles and tendons are avoided, rather than cut as in traditional surgery. The duration of the surgery is approximately 2 ½ hours. Patients are usually discharged within 24-48 hours, compared to a 3-5 day average length of stay after traditional hip surgery. Recovery includes a 4-6 week rehabilitation program. A traditional total hip replacement requires 6-8 weeks on crutches or walker, and 3-4 months total recovery time.

In accordance with state law, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt is the acting governor while Gov. Guinn is recuperating from the surgery. Although Gov. Guinn will be recovering from the surgery for several weeks and be curtailing his travel and appearance schedule during the month of April, he will be “on the job” throughout that process.