PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island first lady Sue Carcieri had a successful quadruple heart bypass operation Wednesday to relieve clogged arteries that doctors said had put the governor’s wife at risk of a heart attack.

Carcieri was expected to make a full recovery, and was to be released from Rhode Island Hospital in four to five days, said Dr. Arun Singh, a surgeon who performed the more than four hour operation.

“This was not an emergency. This was an urgent (case),” Singh said. Without surgery, he added, Carcieri could’ve had a heart attack.

According to Singh, the first lady suffered chest pain and shortness of breath while walking. She called her internist, who referred her to a cardiologist. Tests showed the governor’s wife had blockages in all the major cardiac arteries.

Carcieri, 62, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday. It was unclear when she experienced the symptoms that led her to call a physician.

Singh said Carcieri did not suffer a heart attack and had no damage to her heart muscle. He also said there were no complications during the surgery.