Ex-NYC Mayor Koch Hospitalized With Fluid Buildup
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was hospitalized Saturday night.
Spokesman George Azrt said Koch was admitted to Columbia Presbyterian around 10 pm Saturday after he complained of swollen ankles. He had water retention in his ankles and tests run on Sunday showed that the former mayor also had fluid in his lungs.
Azrt said Koch “didn’t look good” at his Saturday lunch with his former aides. According to the New York Daily News, the 88-year-old went to dinner that night with some friends, one of whom is a doctor and recommended that Koch seek medical attention.
“I talked to him this morning. He said he feels fine,” Arzt said. “He sounded in great spirits. He wanted to know about what was going on in the political world.”
It was unclear when Koch would be released from the hospital.
As we have previously reported, Koch was hospitalized in December for a respiratory infection. He had been having lunch with Azrt and complained that he wasn’t feeling well. Koch had also been hospitalized in September and was treated for anemia after he complained of weakness while staying with friends in North Carolina. He underwent a blood transfusion and was hospitalized for three days. This most recent hospitalization is his third in less than six months.
Koch, a Democrat, served three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Prior to that, he served a term in the US House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977. He was also a judge on The People’s Court from 1997 to 1999.
