Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s Prostate Surgery Complications Are ‘Rare,’ Expert Says

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III had uncommon, but known complications following a routine prostatectomy. Although the complications were serious enough to put Austin in the ICU, they are not necessarily a reflection of poor health, an expert tells The Messenger.

“It’s a rare, but known complication related to prostate surgery,” William T. Berg, M.D., director of Stony Brook Medicine Urology’s Men’s Health Program, tells The Messenger.

Austin had a prostatectomy to treat prostate cancer on Dec. 22 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to a statement by two of its medical directors, John Maddox, M.D. and Gregory Chesnut, M.D. on Tuesday.

“Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and returned home the next morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis was excellent,” they said.

However, Austin returned to the hospital on Jan. 1 with nausea and severe abdominal, hip and leg pain, the doctors said in the statement. He was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI), and after he was admitted to the ICU. 

Further evaluation found abdominal fluid collecting in his small intestines. Doctors were able to drain the fluid without surgery and he has since recovered from his infection. “We anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process,” they said.

“The abdominal, hip and leg pain, those are standard presenting symptoms of a fluid collection after surgery, which can be treated with interventional radiology, or a drain for fluid collection,” Dr. Berg, who does not treat Austin, explains. 

The intestinal fluid collecting in his bowels would cause nausea and vomiting, so a tube is inserted that sucks out the intestinal fluid. This allows the bowel issue and the infection to resolve. The UTI is also a common complication from a catheter after prostate surgery, Dr. Berg says. 

Austin’s hospitalization caused confusion since White House officials were not notified. "The president has to know where his Cabinet members are at all times," former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Politico.

The defense secretary later apologized in a statement, saying he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed” about his hospital trip. 

“I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon,” Austin said. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”