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MNeagle
14th July 2010, 04:03 PM
Cheney says he underwent heart surgery last week, recuperating after the procedure


WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Dick Cheney disclosed Wednesday that he has undergone surgery to install a small pump to help his heart work, as the 69-year-old enters a new phase of what he called "increasing congestive heart failure."

"The operation went very well and I am now recuperating," a still-hospitalized Cheney said in a statement.

The kind of heart pump that Cheney received can be implanted next to the heart to help its main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, pump blood through the body. Such devices are used mainly for short periods, to buy potential transplant candidates time as they await a donor organ.

But they are being studied for use as a permanent therapy for people with severe heart failure who aren't transplant candidates.

The surgery took place last week at Inova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute in Washington's Northern Virginia suburbs, where Cheney was receiving care Wednesday.

A longtime face of the Republican Party, Cheney has dealt with heart problems much of his adult life, suffering five heart attacks since age 37. He said the latest step, the implanting of a pump called a left ventricular assist device, will allow him to resume an active life.

About 5 million Americans have congestive heart failure in which the heart weakens over time — often as a result of heart attacks — and cannot pump enough blood. Heart transplants are one solution, but few patients find a donor and many are too old or sick for a transplant.

The heart pump Cheney received, known as an LVAD for short, is not a cure, said Dr. Samer Najjar, medical director of the heart transplant and LVAD division at Washington Hospital Center. But by rerouting the blood to take over the job of the left ventricle, the pump relieves pressure on the heart.

And once patients recover from the open-heart surgery, they can experience a much better quality of life, said Najjar, who has had LVAD recipients go back to work or resume hobbies like bowling. Najjar had no firsthand information about Cheney's case.

The typical life expectancy of the recipient depends on whether the device is to be temporary and the person goes on to receive a heart transplant, or if the device is intended for permanent therapy. Recent studies suggest that 63 percent of patients who receive a permanent LVAD can survive two years, Najjar said. Those awaiting a heart transplant tend to have a slightly higher survival.

The details of Cheney's scenario were not immediately available.

"The expectation is he is going to have an improved quality of life for some time to come," Najjar said.

Cheney said a few weeks ago it became clear he was "entering a new phase of the disease when I began to experience increasing congestive heart failure."

Late last month, Cheney was admitted to George Washington University Hospital for a few days after reporting he was not feeling well. In that episode, he ultimately received medication to treat a fluid buildup related to his aggressive form of heart disease.

On Wednesday, Cheney said that after testing and consultation with doctors, he underwent surgery last week to install the heart pump. The former vice president offered thanks to those who have kept him and his family in their thoughts.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/98448364.html?page=2&c=y

the riot act
14th July 2010, 04:08 PM
Why didn't he call Bibi Net-in-yahoo and have him kill a 20 Pal for the heart?

MNeagle
1st August 2010, 05:03 PM
Cheney out of intensive care after heart surgery last month

Washington (CNN) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney remains hospitalized after heart surgery last month but is out of the intensive care unit and could return home this week, his daughter said Sunday.

Liz Cheney said on "Fox News Sunday" that her father planned to resume fly-fishing and hunting after the operation more than three weeks ago in which doctors implanted a small pump in his heart.

Cheney has a history of heart problems, including five heart attacks, and the procedure he underwent is used in severe cases that require a mechanical pump to keep the circulation going, said Dr. Tim Gardner, former president of the American Heart Association.

Gardner was not involved in Cheney's treatment.

Cheney suffered his first heart attack in 1978 at age 37. He also suffered heart attacks in 1984 and 1988, and underwent a quadruple bypass surgery to unblock his arteries.

Shortly after Cheney was elected vice president in November 2000, he had a fourth heart attack and received a stent to open an artery.

In February, Cheney suffered his fifth heart attack.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/01/cheney.recovering/index.html?hpt=T2

keehah
1st August 2010, 10:08 PM
God's plan was for Cheney to die in 1978. A body self destructs when filled with that much evil.
Each and every Doctor who has kept him alive since needs to be charged with Crimes against humanity. ;D

MNeagle
9th August 2010, 04:32 PM
Cheney released from hospital

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney was released Monday from a Virginia hospital after over a month of care, NBC News reported.

Cheney, who has suffered five heart attacks since he was 37 years old, underwent heart surgery in early July. His most recent heart attack, described as "mild," occurred in February.

After experiencing "increasing congestive heart failure," he had a tiny pump called a left ventricular assist device implanted to assist in the functioning of his heart.

According to a written statement, Cheney will continue his recovery from the procedure at home.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38630713/ns/politics

ShortJohnSilver
19th August 2010, 07:35 PM
You'd think Halliburton and the others he serve would have bought him a titanium-plated robotic exoskeleton by now. But maybe they are worried about him becoming TOO powerful...

mamboni
19th August 2010, 07:40 PM
I call BS on this story: you have to have a heart to undergo heart surgery.