Pat Robertson In Hospital

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson underwent 10 hours of surgery to repair a heart disorder and is back in Virginia recovering, a spokesman said Monday.

"He's really doing well, recovering very quickly," spokesman Chris Roslan said of the 79-year-old founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network. "He's doing great."

Pat Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, which broadcasts in more than 225 countries.
Robertson, who has scaled back his official activities in recent years, was treated Aug. 19 at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital for atrial fibrillation. He was released last Thursday, Roslan said.

Robertson underwent convergent procedure, which involves cauterizing the continually beating heart muscle with heat generated by a radio frequency. The procedure is less invasive than traditional heart surgery and uses four small openings to hasten recovering time. During the surgery, doctors also discovered an abnormally enlarged left appendage on Robertson's heart. They believe the appendage, which was removed, was the cause of Robertson's atrial fibrillation.

Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, which airs programs in nearly 100 languages in more than 225 countries. Its flagship program, the "700 Club" talk show, reaches 1 million American households daily. See Chick's HEART TROUBLE.