| ■ Cheney Treated for Abnormal Heart Beat | 2008.10.20 |
| U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was treated for an irregular heart beat Wednesday afternoon, which was diagnosed earlier in the day by his physician, the Associated Press reported. Cheney, 67, underwent an outpatient procedure at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, which returned his heart to normal rhythm. He went home after the procedure, which a spokesman described as an electric shock. "During a visit with his doctors this morning, it was discovered that the vice president is experiencing a recurrence of atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart," said his spokeswoman, Megan Mitchell. Cheney was treated for the same problem in November 2007, the wire service said. An electric shock was administered to the vice president's heart to restore normal rhythm.The vice president has had four heart attacks, the first when he was age 37. He's also had quadruple bypass surgery and two other procedures to clear clogged arteries. Seven years ago, he had a pacemaker implanted, and last year, the device was surgically replaced, the AP said. |