Bush ready to leave intensive care; Barbara goes home

Houston — Former President George H.W. Bush is still suffering from pneumonia, but is well enough to leave the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital, doctors said Monday. His wife, Barbara, has been discharged from the same facility after completing treatment for bronchitis.

The 92-year-old former president was struggling to breathe when he was admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital Jan. 14. Last week, he was breathing with the aid of a ventilator in the ICU, but doctors removed the breathing tube on Friday and by Monday were talking about the possibility that he could return home soon.

Amy Mynderse, a physician, said at a news conference that the former president is “sitting up, watching TV and is waiting anxiously for his favorite oyster stew for lunch.”

“He’s on minimal oxygen, joking and laughing with the nurses and doctors,” she said.

Clint Doerr, another physician, said Bush was still coughing “a fair amount” but that if he continues to improve, he could be discharged from the hospital by Friday or over the weekend.

“He’s excited to get home and he’s feeling well,” Mynderse said, describing Bush as “not your average 92-yearold.” Mynderse said when she told Bush he was being released from intensive care, he asked her: “Can I just go home?”

Meanwhile, former first lady Barbara Bush, 91, who was admitted to the facility for treatment of bronchitis on Wednesday, is “back to her normal self,” Mynderse said. Barbara Bush was told she could return home Sunday, but she opted to stay one more night to fully recover.