Surgery corrects Wells' blocked artery

03/07/2006
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Pirates right-hander Kip Wells underwent successful surgery in St. Louis on Monday to repair an artery that had been blocked by a blood clot.
Wells, who will remain hospitalized at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for at least the next two days, will begin a rehabilitation program in four to six weeks. According to GM Dave Littlefield, Wells will "be back game-ready somewhere around the All-Star break."
Wells had suffered a complete blockage of the axillary artery, which is located in the upper chest beneath the clavicle and supplies blood to the head and arms. Renowned vascular surgeon Dr. Robert Thompson was able to correct the problem by replacing the artery with a vein taken from Wells' leg.
Fortunately for Wells, Dr. Thompson did not need to remove Wells' top right rib during the operation. Thompson was forced to take this more intrusive action when he treated Colorado Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Terrero for blood clots in the past. Had this been the case with Wells, the right-hander likely would have been out of action for most, if not all, of the 2006 season.
"Considering all things, it is a good result," said Littlefield.
"We're anxious for him to get back," Littlefield added, "and looking forward to him coming back to the rotation."
After his stay in St. Louis, Wells will return to his home in Houston. At some point in April, he'll begin working to rebuild the strength and the range of motion in his shoulder.
Littlefield was uncertain as to when Wells would begin working out with the team.
"A lot of it will depend on how he improves," said Littlefield. "Everybody recuperates at a different rate. Will just have to keep an open mind as to how he does."
Wells had been troubled by circulation problems in his right hand for two years. He underwent carpal tunnel release surgery after the 2004 season in an effort to restore feeling to his throwing hand. He continued to struggle with command problems last season when he went 8-18 with a 5.09 ERA and led the National League with 99 walks.
However, Wells was reluctant to attribute his past problems to the blood clot when he met with reporters on March 1.
"Hopefully, when they open me up they'll be able to say this is something that has been building," said Wells. "For me to say that this has had a direct impact on my career the last few years, I don't know if that is a fair assessment."
Littlefield said Wednesday that the scar tissue which led to the blockage "certainly was enough to have a blocked artery," but added that Wells' blocked artery was "completely unrelated" to his past circulation problems.
Word of Wells' successful surgery spread quickly through the Pirates clubhouse at McKechnie Field, and his teammates were predictably pleased to learn the good news.
"It's awesome," said Ryan Vogelsong. "Any time you go in to something like that you expect the worse and hope for the best. It seems like the best has come true in this situation.
"It will be good to get him back. He definitely adds something to our team on and off the field. He's been our clubhouse clown here the last couple of years, and he's the type of guy, with his stuff, that we expect him to win every time he is on the field. It will be exciting when we get him back. It should be a real big boost for our team."
"It's definitely a good sign," said Craig Wilson. "With what you have seen in the past with guys with this problem, it's great that the surgery went well and it wasn't as intrusive at it could have been. We'll be glad to have him back."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/