Jamie Dimon Has Emergency Surgery Over ‘Heart Tear’

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon had emergency heart surgery Thursday morning, according to a statement by the bank which said Wall Street’s highest-paid CEO experienced an “acute aortic dissection.”

Dimon is said to be awake, alert and recovering well, according to Bloomberg.

NEW: JPMorgan statement, on Jamie Dimon’s emergency heart surgery.$JPM pic.twitter.com/kLA5yT7rIU

— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) March 5, 2020

Aortic dissection is described by the Mayo Clinic as a “serious condition in which the inner layer of the aorta, the large blood vessel branching off the heart, tears. Blood surges through the tear, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to separate (dissect).”

“If the blood-filled channel ruptures through the outside aortic wall, aortic dissection is often fatal.”

The condition is relatively uncommon – most frequently occurring in men in their 60s and 70s.

JPM co-presidents Daniel Pinto and Gordon Smith will run the bank as Dimon recovers, in addition to their current roles as leading its investment bank and retail bank. In the statement, the two said the bank would continue to pursue the goals and plans laid out in its latest investor day last week. The statement didn’t say how long Dimon’s convalescence is expected to last, but given that Dimon at least seems relatively healthy (he’s not obviously overweight), we suspect it won’t be too long.

JPMorgan stock was down 1% after hours on the news. 

And the twitter wits were quick to pile on:

“Margin call” -satan to Jaime Dimon https://t.co/cQGmMdEmJC

— Jules Paxton (@lwinthorpe3rd) March 5, 2020

Congrats to Jamie Dimon on receiving the world’s first successful heart implant. https://t.co/kZIdxpf0Oo

— Quantian (@quantian1) March 5, 2020

 

But investors should look on the bright side: At least it proves Dimon – Wall Street’s biggest champion of ‘reforming’ capitalism, and its longest-serving CEO, with nearly 15 years on the job – does have a heart.