Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen predicts well after he was pulled from a horse, with an injured spleen

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen was in the intensive care unit of a hospital Monday to be treated for injuries after being thrown from a horse while riding with his family the day before.

Pillen, 68, was treated at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was treated for a spleen that was injured when he rode a new horse.

Doctors said Pillen’s prognosis was good despite seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a small fracture in one of his vertebrae and minor kidney damage that is expected to heal on its own. He is expected to stay in the hospital for at least another day, but is in stable condition.

The governor performed a minimally invasive procedure called prophylactic embolization for spleen injuries. Doctors passed wire through his veins near his spleen and inserted coils to stop the bleeding, according to Nebraska Medicine surgeon Hillman Terzian.

NEBRASKA GOV. JIM PILLEN IN HOSPITAL AFTER HORSE BLASTING

Terzian said Pillen did well during the surgery and was sedated. The job lasted less than an hour and GOP Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly served as governor during the general devolution.

The governor had no damage to his nervous system and there were no signs of injury to his head, neck or spinal cord, according to Terzian.

Pillen was encouraged to get out of bed and is already walking on laps, Terzian said, noting that this is “pretty amazing.”

The doctor said that being in the intensive care unit is normal for people with spleen injuries like Pillen’s and broken ribs at his age. Terzian said the governor “had a very good prognosis.”

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Republican Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen was treated at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. (Kenneth Ferriera/Lincoln Journal Star via AP, File)

“We don’t expect anybody with his injury to run and run a marathon the next day, but we want him to get out of bed, to show us that he can pick up little things, something like that,” Terzian said. .

Pillen’s doctor’s top priority right now is managing his pain.

No other surgery is planned, although doctors have options for treating his ribs, Terzian said.

Pillen made preparations for the operation in his hospital room.

The governor’s office said his injuries were serious, but not life-threatening, and could have been worse.

Gov. Pillen is recovering from seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a small fracture in one of his vertebrae and minor kidney damage that is expected to heal on its own. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

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Pillen was elected governor in 2022, running for governor that year because former Governor Pete Ricketts, also a Republican, was term-limited.

The governor worked as a veterinarian and had a ranching career before becoming one elected to the highest office of the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.