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Vice President Richard Cheney was released from the critical care unit of a Washington D.C. hospital yesterday morning after undergoing a cardiac catheterization operation designed to help clear potentially blocked arteries.
Cheney, who suffered his fourth heart attack last November, checked himself into the hospital Monday after two brief episodes of chronic chest pain, a condition that has plagued him during the past few years.
The first in this round of episodes occurred Saturday, when Cheney was working out in the gym at the vice president’s official residence. The second occurred early Monday.
Calling the procedure “straightforward” and “common,” Cheney’s cardiologist, Dr. Jonathan Reiner said yesterday that the vice president suffers from chronic angina, a tightness in the chest that occurs when the heart is not receiving enough oxygen.
Asked to comment on the prospects of Cheney’s future health, Reiner said the vice president has a long history of heart disease, but his evaluations were promising and blood tests taken recently look normal.
President George W. Bush all but refused comment yesterday when grilled by reporters about Cheney’s health. He confirmed that the vice president had been admitted to a Washington D.C. area hospital but downplayed the operation as a “precautionary measure.”
The former congressman from Wyoming and former defense secretary, has suffered four heart attacks of varying degrees over 22 years, and underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery in 1988.
In an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s Late Edition, Cheney detailed his recent diet and exercise plans, which he hopes will cure him of future heart troubles.
“I am well-behaved,” he said, “They’ve taken control of my food supply. So, I’m trying to do all those things you need do to be a responsible individual with a history of coronary artery disease and somebody who’s 60 years old. So far, so good.”
Asked about his fears concerning future attacks, the vice president seemed confident. “I don’t operate that way…I look forward to several more years.”
