Where the Pentagon is confirming that the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has been transported to Walter Reid Medical Center for another time, the second time in the past three months, transported because of complications. Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, joining us now. Sanjay, help us understand. What we have been told is that was a emergent bladder issue. Now, we know that he had complications from his prostate surgery earlier, and then he was hospitalized for the prostate surgery. So now this is really a third hospital visit, but perhaps the second one that sounds like in the category of an emergency.

Yeah, exactly. I mean, this poor guy, he's had a rough go of things, Fred. There's no question about it. So it was mid-afternoon when we were notified that he was going to the hospital for, as you mentioned, emergent bladder issues, which is something that can happen after someone has prostate surgery. Typically, if it's emergent, it typically means someone has what's called urinary retention. The bladder becomes distended. It's quite painful. He can't pee, essentially. And that's the real concern here, and that's what the emergency is. And it can be a real emergency. Besides the bladder being distended, it can cause problems with heart rate and blood pressure and things like that. But just a quick timeline. Again, as you mentioned this, it was in early December that he was first notified that he had prostate cancer. He waited to have that operation until December 22nd. People sometimes schedule these operations over the holidays, and it seemed like it went fine. He was discharged the next day. But then on January first, he was hospitalized for a bladder infection at that point. He was in the hospital for quite some time, two weeks at that point, Fred.

Now it's not even a month later, and he's back in the hospital again. All we know, again, it's these bladder issues. It could be a remnant of the infection. But with prostate surgery, you can get an issue where it just becomes hard to empty one's bladder. That can turn into a real problem, which is probably what they're addressing right now. Not likely, we'll see, we're expecting an update, but not likely he will need any anesthesia for this. But I'm sure they're trying to address the bladder issue as we speak.

Are you saying these are relatively common side effects after having a prostate-related surgery?

Well, as far as complications go, these are the ones that more typically happen. But a lot of people have this operation and don't have any of these follow-up complications or necessary hospitalizations. But the area of the body where this operation takes place, it's right in that area, around the bladder, around the urethra. People can develop swelling, stricture, infection. Any of those things could potentially lead to problems with the bladder.

Yeah, he's probably in a lot of pain, right?

Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Again, this poor guy, he's been through it, but it's the pain from not being able to empty your bladder, the abdominal pain. But I think what people don't sometimes realize is that can cause other symptoms in the body. People can drop their blood pressure. They can have aberrations in their heart rate. So they describe this as an emergency, and I'm sure that was part of the reason why as well.

Yeah. All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much. Of course, we're wishing him well. As you said, he's been through a lot, and it is ongoing. All right. Thanks so much. Got it.