Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas) on Sunday had successful quadruple heart bypass surgery and will be absent from the House for the next three to four weeks while he recovers, according to a statement released by the Congressman’s office today.

Lampson becomes the second House Member in less than a week to undergo bypass surgery. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) had the procedure in a Boston hospital on March 19.

“The physicians have indicated that the surgery proceeded well, and that Congressman Lampson will make a full recovery,” spokesman Bobby Zafarnia said in a statement. “Though this was a serious procedure, Congressman Lampson has his family with him, his spirits are high, and he looks forward to returning to his office and serving his constituents as quickly as possible.”

The operation — coronary artery bypass surgery to treat blockages of the arteries on the surface of his heart — was performed in Houston at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. The procedure was scheduled after an examination on Friday at the National Naval Medical Center found irregularities in the Congressman’s heart.

Lampson began his second stint in Congress in January, after winning the 22nd district seat left open by former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who resigned from Congress last June. His seat will be a top Republican target in 2008.

— David M. Drucker