Amy Grant Had Open Heart Surgery to Correct Rare Condition and It 'Could Not Have Gone Better'
Amy Grant underwent a successful heart surgery on Wednesday to correct a rare condition her doctor discovered earlier this year.
The Christian pop singer, 59, has PAPVR, which stands for partial anomalous pulmonary venous return. It is a condition in which "one or two of the pulmonary veins returns blood to the right atrium instead of the left atrium," according to UW Health. "This causes oxygen-rich blood to flow back to the lungs instead of on to the rest of the body."
The surgery to correct the condition takes place under general anesthesia and redirects blood flow.
"She had open-heart surgery to correct a condition from birth the doctors discovered during a heart checkup called PAPVR," Grant's rep tells PEOPLE. "Thankfully the doctor said it could not have gone better. We’re praying for a full and easy recovery over the next days, weeks and months to come."
Getty Images Amy Grant
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Fans were encouraged to pray for Grant's successful surgery earlier on Wednesday with a social media post announcing the medical procedure.
"With all that is going on in our world that needs our collective prayer, please also join us in praying for Amy this week as she has heart surgery to correct her PAPVR condition," the musician's team shared on Grant's Facebook account.
Later, an update was shared, echoing Grant's reps statement to PEOPLE and revealing that the surgery was a success: "Amy is out of surgery and the doctor said it could not have gone better. We would ask for continued prayers over the days, weeks and months to come as she makes a full recovery."
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In February, Grant said in a statement on Twitter that her doctor discovered she had a heart condition during a "battery of tests," though she did not name PAPVR at the time.
The "Every Heartbeat" singer said in the post that she was born with the condition, but is "completely asymptomatic."
Grant also hinted in that post that she would be undergoing surgery later this year.
"The second good news is that it's fixable, so instead of concerts and camping trips this summer, I am going to take care of my heart," she said, adding, "are you taking care of yours?! Please do."
