Sen. Ted Kennedy is "resting comfortably" in the hospital after suffering a seizure this morning in Massachusetts, his office said in a statement. He is undergoing a battery of tests and it is unlikely there will be any further word on his condition for the next 48 hours, the senator's office said. It doesn't appear the longtime Democratic lawmaker had a stroke as initially suspected, according to a spokeswoman.
Kennedy was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for evaluation after initial treatment at Cape Cod Hospital, an earlier statement from his office said.
The senator spent less than an hour in the Cape Cod facility, hospital spokesman David Reilly said.
An official with the Hyannis Fire Department said it received a 911 call from the Kennedy compound at 8:19 a.m. and transported a male patient to the hospital, arriving at 8:50 a.m.
The patient was subsequently transferred to the hospital's municipal airport, and a Boston Med Flight helicopter flew the man to Massachusetts General, Lt. Bill Rex said.
Family members reported that Kennedy was well enough later in the morning to call to say he wou
ld not be able to join them for lunch.
They said they were guardedly optimistic that he would make a full recovery.
Kennedy had surgery in October to clear his carotid artery in hopes of preventing a stroke. Colleagues said he had recovered quickly and was working energetically recently.
He suffers chronic back pain from injuries suffered in a plane crash in 1964.
Kennedy has represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 1962. He is one of only six senators in U.S. history to serve more than 40 years. He is known as a liberal champion of social issues such as health care, family leave, and the minimum wage.
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