Cheney to Have Routine Pacemaker Check

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney will undergo a routine exam Tuesday to check the condition of a high-tech pacemaker that was placed in his chest in June 2001. Spokesman Kevin Kellems said the tests at George Washington University Medical Center would include a physical exam, an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and a stress test. It is a noninvasive procedure and the vice president plans to be back at work by midday, he said.

"It's a routine check not triggered by any event," Kellems said.

more…
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040511/D82G31PG2.html

[goclark]

1. He doesn't have a heart

He is a cold and calculating man.

Hope everything goes well for you Dick!
Let us know what the doctor says when you get out of your "routine" visit.

I'm sure that it was not caused by events. Events like war and abuse and vicious dogs don't even appear on your radar screen.

[Fenris]

2. Quick! Now's our chance! Where's that microwave?

[Eurobabe]

23. there are those that pray daily

for a short circuit of that pacemaker

[truthisfreedom]

3. i didn't know stone could beat.

no matter how much juice you put through it. must be one heck of a pacemaker.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. It's so large......(How large is it?)

It's so large that it's fuel needs precipitated our invasion of Iraq.

[moof]

4. What a lie

This whole heart problem/pacemaker/bypass stuff is just a dodge to
get to get the words heart & cheny mentioned in the same paragraph.

[sniffa]

5. here is when he steps down

weLcome rudoLph guLLiani to the ticket.

[maddezmom]

6. great minds think alike

while reading this, I thought maybe they'll(bush*) find a reason for dicky not to seek a second run. But then again, bush is standing by rummy at this time, so who knows what goes thru that little chimp head.

[hang a left]

10. I would have bet the farm a few months back that whattaDICK

would not be on the ticket in the fall. Now, I just don't think so.

[salin]

12. count three

if they are going to dump him (his polling/approval numbers continue to be below 30%, I believe).... it will be after this with "doing my patriotic duty by stepping aside..." Not sure they are going to dump him (W reportedly "confers" with him more than anyone else...), but IF they were going to do so... this would/will be the entre point

[Cooley Hurd]

7. I see Frist, Santorum or Pataki before Giuliani...

Never a pro-lifer on George W Christ's ticket...

[Merlin]

15. My very first thought too. n/t

.

[Don_G]

8. I'll Bet He's Having A Few Other Things Checked

[Hepburn]

9. There is nothing routine about what he has in his chest.

I was shocked to learn the other day what is implanted in Cheney's chest. He has a cardio-verter-defibulator implanted. This type of implant is only done in the worst of heart disease and heart damage cases. It is as tho the patient is carrying implanted in his/her chest the type of "shock" paddles that EMTs have with them. This is NO indication of minor heart disease. Most who have this implement implanted live only 18 months after the surgery to do this. Cheney is on borrowed time IMO. The nature and extent of his heart disease has not been revealed. For a man to have a major heart attack in his 30's like Cheney did - well, that is pretty unusual. Although the unit does contain a pace maker - it is no mere pace maker unit like most people are familiar with. Unless I am mistaken, the type of unit which Cheney has works to convert life threatening arythmias to a "normal" rhythm by shocking the heart. This unit is used often when the patient has cardiomyopia and has a history of V-tack rhythms. V-tack is when the heart beats so rapidly that it then goes into fibulation - or contractions which do not pump any blood through the heart and leaves the heart in a quivering state. Hence, the use of the paddles to "defibulate" the quivering heart.

BTW: I am not a medical person. I just learned all of the above because my late husband was one of the first recipients of this type of unit and this was done when it was considered experimental surgery in the US. I probably misspelled some of the medical terms and if I did I apologize in advance for having done this.

The point is: The Bush Administration NEEDS to come clean about Cheney’s health.

[Just Me]

13. e.g. he really IS heartless,...literally,...

,...amazing the guy is even alive,...

I have nightmares about Delay ending up as president in the event of a strike against Bush with Cheney dying from mere shock. Frightening imaginations.

<on edit: Hey, look at me,...I gotta a star! :bounce:

[Hepburn]

16. IMO: Cheney's health is really scary!

I was reading John Dean's book and got the info about what Cheney has implanted in his chest. I was stunned. This type of device, although not as rare as it was years ago when my husband had his surgery, is not a stardard thing. It is evidence of a badly damaged heart. You know how Cheney is not visible a lot of the time? I am betting it is because he is hooked up to a lidocaine drip. This med is used for a irritable heart. I would love to see a list of the meds he is on, too. I am betting that you would find mexiletine on the list.

The problem with an irritable heart: It can go into V-tack at anytime - ventricular arrhytmia - because the heart muscle is so badly damaged. This is a death rhythm. And...when those internally planted paddles shock the heart to stop this, we are talking about a grown man hitting the ground and depending on the level of the shock to the heart - screaming in pain. That is why I am betting that Cheney is not visible a lot of the time. He needs to be on a lidocaine drip. The mexiletine (oral lidocaine) is OK...but not near as good when a heart patient is directly hooked to a lidocaine drip.

Again: I have no medical background and, unfortunatley, learned all I know from personal experience.

BTW: What are the stars and how do you get them?

[KAZ]

18. The stars are for donating to DU...

If you're interested, here's the place - http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/intro.html

Welcome to DU!

[PATRICK]

26. Keep the GD pressure up

That may sound heartless?

It is coincidental, as so so many things are in the march of fate in the Bush/Cheney dream team. Before the pacemaker and a few times after Cheney would be declared actually sick. Then when that became an embarrassing issue, he simply disappeared. Now it's just a routine checkup.

Hah. He had an incident(wonder why?) and the thumper kicked in to jumpstart his heart, which we are told is quite a jolt.

Cheney's bad power habits(like his appetite for the wrong food) is really unrestrainable. Only his lust for power is keeping alive, but that machine definitely punishes bad behavior.

How is he radically unfit for office? Let me count the ways...

[KAZ]

17. Thanks for the insight Hepburn....

John Dean has a few graphs on this in his new book, which basically echoed what you posted. Amazing the POS made it this long.

[Hepburn]

21. You are welcome.

I just was so shocked when I heard about this device that Cheney has. The WH appears to be passing this off as some "normal" pacemaker. Yes, the unit does have this, but it is NO little pacemaker. It completely runs the heart. Pacemakers are usually used because the heart rate drops too low. That can happen with a heart condition like Cheney has, but that is not the real medical threat. It is the extremely high heart rate that can lead to instant death that is the problem.

Here is some info from the web about this type of implanted heart unit:

"Your heart's electrical system may develop a problem that makes your heart beat too fast. When the electrical problem comes from the bottom chambers of the heart, the rhythm disturbance is called ventricular tachycardia. When your heart goes into ventricular tachycardia, it doesn't pump blood as well. As a result, less blood is pumped to your body and your brain. You may feel your heart pounding, or you may feel dizzy or faint. If ventricular tachycardia isn't treated properly, it can be life-threatening.

When a ventricular arrhythmia becomes very fast and irregular, it's called ventricular fibrillation. The heart just quivers, and no blood is pumped to the body or the brain. A person with ventricular fibrillation usually passes out very quickly. Unless treatment is given in five to 10 minutes, ventricular fibrillation causes death.

In people who don't have an ICD, ventricular fibrillation is treated with an external defibrillator. Paddles are put on the outside of the chest, and an electrical shock is given through the paddles. This shock goes through the heart and stops the irregular beat. The heart then goes back to a more regular rhythm.

Unfortunately, ventricular fibrillation can occur without warning--often, treatment can't be given in time. An ICD may be recommended for you because your doctor thinks you're at high risk for having ventricular fibrillation. The ICD can quickly recognize and stop ventricular fibrillation."

http://www.aafp.org/afp/980115ap/980115b.html

Real nice to know that the person in charge of Boy George may not be getting adequate blood to his brain! Geeeeeeez! IMO: Cheney's medical condition needs to be fully disclosed.

[kskiska]

22. John Dean makes a point of this in his new book

Dickie has never released his medical records. He is a very sick man, which most likely explains his long absences.

[Hepburn]

27. Like I said...

...IMO why Cheney is out of sight - he is on a lidocaine drip a lot of the time. Oral lidocaine (mexiletine) does not always do it when a heart is that irritable. I am betting that he has portable oxygen with him most times, too, and when not in sight, he is hooked up to oxygen. I would like to see his med records on his oxygenation rates.

I am not, of course, faulting the man for his medical problems. What I am concerned about is that this has been hidden. Until I read Dean's book, I had NO clue how bad Cheney's heart condition is. I lived this everyday with someone with the same conditition and did this for years - it started with Congestive Heart Failure and got to the point that the CDF had to be implanted. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop 24/7. IMO: These people are the walking dead. I know that sounds totally awful, but those are the facts of the matter. And...one of the things that HAS TO be avoided with medical problems like this: Stress. What I came to find is that no matter what my husband said, I never disagreed. You never knew what a bit of stress could bring on. I am now wondering how many people are in the same boat with challenging Cheney? With my late husband, who was an absolute doll so I did not have to disagree very often, nothing earth shattering was gonna happen if he expressed some political thoughts with which I did not agree. With Cheney, of course, a whole different story.

I am betting that there is NO way there will be an Presidential debates. Cheney's health IMO could not take the stress. I know that I would like to get close enough to Cheney when he is out in public to take a long, hard look at his nail beds. If he is off oxygen while in public and his heart is as bad as it appears, then his nail beds will be the "tell" on this. I got very good at not letting my husband know I was taking a long hard look at his nail beds. The other sign: Any pursed lip breathing. I wish I had know about Cheney's condition earlier and I would have kept an eye out for this stuff.

Sorry about going on and on about this....but I really think that the American public has a right to see his medical records and know if he is physically capable of carrying out the tasks of VP or those of the Prez if something would happen to Bush.

[BiggJawn]

11. Simple procedure....

Sit him on the table, listen, "LUB....Dub.......LUB...Dub......"
"Uh, sir? Gary Condit..."
"LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB-LUB-DUB!"

"Yeah, her-Uh his heart is doing just great..."

[llmart]

19. Tick, tick, tick.....

Dickwad....Satan's waiting for you in Hell. Can't get there soon enough for me.

[ElectroPrincess]

20. John Crougarstein via IUMA.COM

Another VP Cheney medical check-up is yet another opportunity for me to complement the great musical satirist John Cougarstein (hosted by IUMA.COM). Enjoy! :bounce:

Real Audio Stream:
http://mailafriend.guide.real.com/index.html?link=http%3a%2f%2fartists.iuma.com%2fsite-bin%2framgen.ram%3faid%3d66393%26sid%3d220265]

Artist's Home Page
http://www.cougarstein.com/

[happynewyear]

24. not the first time

If you have a pacemaker you are supposed to go have it "tuned up" about every 6 months I believe. I wonder how many times he has had this done and why it never made the news before?

[Hepburn]

29. I do not know much about regular pacemakers.

But this is not what Cheney has. The type of unit implanted in his chest is read by a computer and this can be done over the telephone with a certain hook up that now comes with this type of system. It is rare with this to go to the hospital for an normal adjustment. The electrodes from the unit are implanted in the aorta. This can be a problem if one of the leads becomes dislodged, etc, and things like this, of course would require hospitalization. However, normally these types of units are read over the phone or in a doctor's office - not in the hospital. Adjustments can be made without being admitted for treatment because the unit itself contains a little computer - therefore the adjustments over the phone or in the MD's office - they just hook into a bigger computer which reads the unit and adjusts it. If I recall correctly, the implanted unit can carry info on what the heart has been doing and what adjustments have been made for approximately a month - but not totally sure on this. It does a print out like you see with an EKG. No regular pacemaker does anything like this.

IMO: If Cheney is being admitted because of the "pacemaker," it is a heck of a lot more than some mere adjustment. BTW: I wish they would call it what it is and not try to slide things by with using "pacemaker."

[gratuitous]

25. Okay, pacemaker? Check.

Heart? Missing.

[leftofthedial]

28. boy, wouldn't you love to be the technician

for that?

[nodehopper]

30. What's all this "pacemaker" BS? everyone knows he is a robot.

an evil robot.

[Tellurian]

31. An excuse for a private meeting...