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Etan Thomas recovering from open heart surgery

Etan Thomas was recovering from open heart surgery on Friday, and the doctor who performed the operation did not rule out that the Washington Wizards center could return to play in the NBA this season.

"We think the function of his heart and lungs should return to normal," said Hartzell Schaff, a cardiovascular surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "And it's possible he could get back to playing professional-level basketball."

Schaff said most patients recover from the operation in four to eight weeks, but the physical nature of basketball will require a longer rehabilitation for Thomas.

The biggest hurdle will be the healing of Thomas' sternum, which had to be broken in order to perform the surgery.

"It's going to be more than a couple of months," Schaff said. "But I don't know if we're talking about one month more or one week more."

Thomas was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve following a routine physical before the start of training camp last week.

Schaff described the leakage as "severe" and said it revealed that Thomas had a bicuspid aortic valve that needed to be repaired or replaced.

"It's a condition that he's had since birth," Schaff said. "But it wouldn't have been apparent until the valve starts leaking."

Schaff replaced the valve in a four-and-a-half-hour operation on Thursday.

The doctor said that Thomas was "awake and alert" on Friday morning and would probably remain in the hospital until Wednesday or Thursday.

"His heart function is quite good," Schaff said.

Recently, Ronny Turiaf showed how quickly an athlete can recover from such a serious procedure. The former Gonzaga star had open-heart surgery for an enlarged aortic root in July 2005, but he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in January last year and played in 23 games before the end of the season.

If Thomas follows a similar timeline, he would perhaps return in time for the playoffs in April.

The 29-year-old Thomas has played six years for the Wizards and is the team's longest-tenured player.

He started a career-high 32 games last season, averaging 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds.
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