Exactly when the pacemaker can be operated on depends on when the king is completely infection-free, the royal house states in a press release this afternoon. This may take several days, so the king will probably remain at Rikshospitalet over the weekend, it is further said. The royal house also states that the king’s general condition is stable and improving. The family on a sick visit Late last night, the plane carrying King Harald (87) home from Malaysia landed on Norwegian soil. The journey from Langkawi took around 17 hours. “His Majesty the King has, as informed about the last few days, had an infection and low heart rate which has required hospitalization and medical transport home,” the royal house writes in the press release. Crown Prince Haakon himself drove to the Rikshospitalet on Monday. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB The king was sent straight to the National Hospital last night and admitted for further examinations and rest there. Today the family visited him in the hospital. Crown Prince Haakon arrived at Rikshospitalet on Monday afternoon. Queen Sonja did the same. Crown Prince Haakon arrived at the Rikshospitalet, where King Harald is admitted, on Monday afternoon. PHOTO: HELGE TVEDTEN Earlier today, both Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Princess Märtha Louise visited the Rikshospitalet. Got a temporary pacemaker before the journey home On Saturday, it became known that the king had been fitted with a temporary pacemaker at the Sultanah Maliha hospital in Langkawi due to a low heart rate. The king’s physician Bjørn Bendz has followed King Harald closely in recent years. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB The decision was made on Saturday morning and was supposed to make the journey home safer, the king’s physician Bjørn Bendz stated in a press release at the time. Cardiologist: – Not a major operation When the temporary pacemaker is now to be replaced by a permanent one, it means that the pacemaker is operated on and remains in place to control the heart’s rhythm, explains cardiologist Lars Aaberge to news. – A temporary pacemaker is simply plastered on the outside of the skin, while a permanent pacemaker is operated under the skin and sewn in place, says Aaberge, head of department at the cardiology department at Oslo University Hospital. He speaks on a general basis. According to Aaberge, inserting a permanent pacemaker is not a complicated operation. – No, it is not a major intervention. It is usually done with local anaesthetic. The pacemaker is then placed as a matchbox-sized battery under the skin, preferably in the left shoulder region. Then the wires go from there and down to the heart, says Aaberge to news. – What makes you need a pacemaker? – It is because the heart’s conduction system does not deliver the frequency that the heart needs. There can be many reasons for that. It can be linked to age and various medical conditions, says Aaberge. Lars Aaberge is head of the Department of Cardiology at Oslo University Hospital and explains how a pacemaker works. The king has also previously undergone interventions related to the heart. In 2020, King Harald replaced a heart valve at Rikshospitalet, after struggling with heavy breathing. Also in 2005, he also underwent an operation on the heart valve between the heart and the main artery. At that time, the aortic valve was replaced with an artificial heart valve. King Harald has made it clear that he will stand by the deed for the rest of his life and not abdicate, as his third wife in Denmark, Queen Margrethe, did. Here he is visiting Flå municipality in October last year. Photo: Caroline Utti / news Sick on holiday Just under a week ago, the royal house announced that King Harald had fallen ill during a private holiday in Malaysia and had been hospitalized there. The king was on holiday in Malaysia with the queen. According to the royal family, the king was hospitalized with an infection and received good follow-up by both Norwegian and Malaysian health personnel. The king’s physician, who is usually a doctor at the National Hospital, himself went to Malaysia after the king’s hospitalization. Last year, King Harald had 431 work assignments – this is how his working day looks like:
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King Harald gets a permanent pacemaker implanted – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
