Former President George H.W. Bush is being moved from the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital to the regular floor of the hospital and he could be discharged later this week.
Doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital also said Monday at a news briefing that the former first lady, Barbara Bush, has been discharged from the hospital.
“Today is a great day,” said Dr. Amy Myderse. “Mrs. Bush has been discharged from the hospital and President Bush will be moved from the ICU to the regular floor today. They’re both doing really well.”
Bush has been hospitalized since last week after coming down with pneumonia, and Barbara Bush entered the hospital days later due to a case of bronchitis.
Bush has been in the ICU and was intubated — meaning he was breathing with the help of a ventilator with a tube down his throat — for two days. The tube has been removed and he’s been recovering quickly, doctors said.
Dr. Clint Doerr said the Bushes have been a solid support system for each other and it’s possible one of the reasons Barbara Bush needed hospitalization is because she was so devoted to being by the former president’s bedside and wouldn’t care for herself.
However, with the rate of improvement both are seeing, it’s possible both Bushes will be at home within the next week or two weeks, the doctor said.
“If everything continues at the pace of improvement we’re currently enjoying, I would imagine … a Friday discharge might be a little bit optimistic, but Friday or over the weekend,” he said. “Literally, it’s a bit of a moving target.”
