Johnson receives regular CAT scans of his head to ensure that the swelling on his brain and bleeding within it is gone.
"Considering his initial presentation, his progress is encouraging," Caputy said in a statement from Johnson's office. "He is now stabilized and continues to show signs of responsiveness to the medical staff and the family.
"Much like a bruise, it takes time to heal," Caputy said of the post-operative state of the senator's brain.
An arteriovenous malformation is a disorder characterized by a complex, tangled web of arteries and veins, according to the Medical College of Wisconsin Web site.
"An AVM may occur in the brain, brainstem or spinal cord and is caused by abnormal development of blood vessels," the site states. "The most common symptoms of AVM include hemorrhaging (bleeding), seizures, headaches and neurological problems such as paralysis or loss of speech, memory or vision."
Earlier in the day that Johnson went to the hospital, the senator was having a telephone meeting with South Dakota reporters when "his speech pattern slipped off," Johnson spokesperson Julianne Fisher told CNN. She said Johnson complained of pain in his right arm and then the Capitol physician was summoned, who advised the senator go to the hospital for further treatment.
Dr. John "Skip" Williams, provost and vice president of health affairs at GW, said the senator is receiving the best treatment possible at the hospital.
"We have an excellent faculty of medicine, with both full time faculty and voluntary faculty. Many are known nationally and internationally," he said in an e-mail. "The hospital is first-class with a dynamic physician CEO and an outstanding staff of nurses, physicians and staff. The Senator couldn't be in better hands."
Williams added that prominent politicians have come to GW Hospital over the years because of its physical proximity to centers of power and because of its "excellent reputation." President Ronald Reagan was brought to the hospital when he was shot by would-be assassin John Hinckley in 1981, and Vice President Dick Cheney has come in on several occasions for his heart condition. The hospital is considered a level-one trauma center, which is capable of treating any type of medical emergency.
U.S. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), the Senate's outgoing majority leader and a medical doctor, visited Johnson the afternoon after he had surgery.
"I'm very, very pleased with the progress," Frist told The Hatchet outside the hospital. He declined to give specifics about the senator's condition and would not respond to a question about Johnson's consciousness.
Barbara Johnson, wife of Senator Johnson, said in a statement that her family is hoping for the best.
"The Johnson family is encouraged and optimistic. They are grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans. They are especially grateful for the work of the doctors and all medical personnel and GWU Hospital."
Spokespeople for GW Hospital and the GW Medical Center declined to comment on Johnson's condition. n
-Ben Solomon contributed to this report.
"Considering his initial presentation, his progress is encouraging," Caputy said in a statement from Johnson's office. "He is now stabilized and continues to show signs of responsiveness to the medical staff and the family.
"Much like a bruise, it takes time to heal," Caputy said of the post-operative state of the senator's brain.
An arteriovenous malformation is a disorder characterized by a complex, tangled web of arteries and veins, according to the Medical College of Wisconsin Web site.
"An AVM may occur in the brain, brainstem or spinal cord and is caused by abnormal development of blood vessels," the site states. "The most common symptoms of AVM include hemorrhaging (bleeding), seizures, headaches and neurological problems such as paralysis or loss of speech, memory or vision."
Earlier in the day that Johnson went to the hospital, the senator was having a telephone meeting with South Dakota reporters when "his speech pattern slipped off," Johnson spokesperson Julianne Fisher told CNN. She said Johnson complained of pain in his right arm and then the Capitol physician was summoned, who advised the senator go to the hospital for further treatment.
Dr. John "Skip" Williams, provost and vice president of health affairs at GW, said the senator is receiving the best treatment possible at the hospital.
"We have an excellent faculty of medicine, with both full time faculty and voluntary faculty. Many are known nationally and internationally," he said in an e-mail. "The hospital is first-class with a dynamic physician CEO and an outstanding staff of nurses, physicians and staff. The Senator couldn't be in better hands."
Williams added that prominent politicians have come to GW Hospital over the years because of its physical proximity to centers of power and because of its "excellent reputation." President Ronald Reagan was brought to the hospital when he was shot by would-be assassin John Hinckley in 1981, and Vice President Dick Cheney has come in on several occasions for his heart condition. The hospital is considered a level-one trauma center, which is capable of treating any type of medical emergency.
U.S. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), the Senate's outgoing majority leader and a medical doctor, visited Johnson the afternoon after he had surgery.
"I'm very, very pleased with the progress," Frist told The Hatchet outside the hospital. He declined to give specifics about the senator's condition and would not respond to a question about Johnson's consciousness.
Barbara Johnson, wife of Senator Johnson, said in a statement that her family is hoping for the best.
"The Johnson family is encouraged and optimistic. They are grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans. They are especially grateful for the work of the doctors and all medical personnel and GWU Hospital."
Spokespeople for GW Hospital and the GW Medical Center declined to comment on Johnson's condition. n
-Ben Solomon contributed to this report.
