US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was treated under general anesthetic for bladder issues as he battles prostate cancer, doctors said on Monday, according to a report in the AFP news agency.
As a result, Austin will miss a trip to Brussels while recovering from the procedure.
On Sunday, the Pentagon announced that the Defense Secretary was hospitalized "for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue."
The 70-year-old Austin later was admitted to a critical care ward and officially transferred duties to his deputy.
He "underwent non-surgical procedures under general anesthesia," his doctors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington said Monday in a statement quoted by AFP.
"A prolonged hospital stay is not anticipated. We anticipate the Secretary will be able to resume his normal duties tomorrow."
The doctors added his cancer prognosis remained excellent. The Pentagon said Austin’s "emergent bladder issue" was not related to his cancer treatment.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said Austin would no longer travel to Brussels, home of NATO headquarters, this week.
Austin’s latest hospitalization comes one month after the Secretary of Defense was hospitalized in order to undergo treatment for cancer.
Austin came under fire for that hospitalization, as the Pentagon kept it not just from the public, but also from the White House – including President Joe Biden himself – and Congress.
In addition, it was reported that, when Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks began assuming some of Austin’s responsibilities on January 2, not even she knew that it was because Austin was hospitalized.
Some prominent Republicans have called for Austin to be removed from his job in wake of the saga. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) said he would be introducing articles of impeachment against Austin.