Doctor declares Kerry leg surgery a success

Secretary of State John Kerry underwent a successful surgery in Boston on Tuesday to repair his broken leg, his doctor said late in the afternoon.

“The procedure was uncomplicated, the fracture was fully repaired, and we plan to get him up walking on Wednesday,” Dennis Burke said in a statement provided by the State Department.

Kerry, 71, was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday evening after breaking his right femur during a bicycling accident in Scionzier, France, over the weekend.

{mosads}He had spent Sunday night at a hospital in nearby Geneva and was accompanied by Burke on his flight home aboard a C-17 military cargo plane.

“He’s in very good spirits. Very eager, obviously, to get back, and get on with his recovery and continue with work,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday.

An avid biker, Kerry is often photographed riding a bicycle while on trips to Europe.

His doctor, who previously performed hip replacement surgery on Kerry, said the secretary of State “was conscious throughout the four-hour operation” and was given a regional anesthetic.

“I anticipate a short hospitalization, a full and complete recovery, and a return to normal function,” Burke said in the statement, adding he didn’t expect it to interfere with Kerry’s responsibilities.

Kerry cut short his trip to Europe this week to return to the U.S. due to the accident. He was in Geneva on Saturday, where he met with his Iranian counterpart amid ongoing nuclear talks.

Kerry has led negotiations for the U.S. delegation involved in the discussions.

State Department officials say a June 30 deadline to secure an international deal with Tehran and five global powers over Iran’s nuclear program remains in tact, despite Kerry’s accident.