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CNN Saturday Morning News

President Bush Undergoes Colonoscopy

Aired June 29, 2002 - 12:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now back to our other top story, the president's health. President Bush is back in charge this hour after a routine medical procedure today. Because he was sedated, he temporarily handed power over to the vice president, and CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us this morning with the latest. And the president is OK, and no polyps, no abnormalities?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The president's doing great; that according to his spokesperson. He handed over his power, and Vice President Dick Cheney had that power for two hours and 15 minutes to be exact. The vice president left the White House just moments ago in his motorcade.

The statement from the White House coming out within the last hour said that in terms of the president's health, it was at 7:09 this morning Eastern Standard Time that Bush invoked Article 25 of the Constitution temporarily transferring power of the presidency to Vice President Cheney. That the procedure was concluded at 7:29 in the morning, and the president awoke at 7:31, that the power of the presidency was returned at 9:24.

Now, this morning we saw the vice president enter just before 7:00 o'clock. We are told that he underwent a number of briefings. This whole thing coming to light just yesterday when the president with the first lady left the White House to Camp David. He said that this was a wartime precaution, that because there would be a chance that he would be unconscious for a while, because we have troops overseas, because we're on high alert because of the July 4th weekend that they thought this was the best idea. He consulted with his lawyers to go ahead and transfer power during that brief period of time.

Now, how it worked, the president was sedated for a brief period of time. Formally what he did was he invoked the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, formally transferring that power when he signed a letter and faxed that letter, that letter being sent to the speaker of the House as well as the president pro tem of the Senate.

It was just afterward when he came to after the procedure that he signed another letter that was faxed to congressional leaders resuming, officially resuming his powers.

Now, Fred, we anticipated that this was going to go well, that is because the president's doctor said that he is in excellent health. He did go through two other colonoscopies earlier. They found benign polyps in this two circumstances, but this time around, no abnormalities. We expect to hear from his doctor within about 10 minutes here at the White House -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Of course, we'll be taking that live.

Now, Suzanne, apparently they scheduled this very early so as to not interrupt with his duties. Am I understanding this correctly that he was still able to do his radio address?

MALVEAUX: Well, he records his radio address ahead of time. That is typical. But what happens is he actually told us yesterday that he really wanted to go out and exercise, perhaps take a route in Camp David and run. That may just happen today. The president saying that he feels great and that he's able to go about his normal routine.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that explains it. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux from the White House. And of course we'll be taking that live from the White House doctor when he does emerge there to give us a better view as to exactly what kind of procedure the president did go under.

Well, a little bit more now on that transfer of power that Suzanne was talking about. President Bush's decision to transfer power to the vice president is based on the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It was added in 1967, and reads like this: "Whenever the president transmits to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the vice president as acting president."

Now, the president obviously exercised this option for his colonoscopy, and our own medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to give us a better understanding as to why this really is the best way in which to detect colon cancer, and obviously to catch it early is the best advice that the president has been getting. And we know already that he has already had at least two other colon exams, colonoscopies, and this time it really was a mission of better safe than sorry, wasn't it?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, when people have these polyps that show up in the exams like it showed up in his colonoscopies in '98 and '99, the best policy is to look -- not to wait too, too long and to look to see if there are anymore.

Benign polyps -- lots and lots of people have benign polyps. It doesn't necessarily mean anything. You can leave a perfectly fine, happy, long life with benign polyps, but it does put you at a slightly increased risk of getting colon cancer later in life, and that's why he's had these relatively frequent colonoscopies.

When I say relatively, that's because for someone who has -- who doesn't have any signs of any problems in the colon, you might get a colonoscopy -- or you should get a colonoscopy starting at age 50, and if you have a clean colon, you might not get another one for five or maybe even 10 years depending upon your doctor's advice.

So with the president, since the colonoscopies in '98 and '99 did find polyps, they decided to do the colonoscopies more frequently than if he hadn't had them.

WHITFIELD: Who are the best candidates in which to get a colonoscopy, at least put on a regular routine, for one?

COHEN: Well, everyone is supposed to get one. Men and women is supposed to get a colonoscopy starting at age 50, and a lot of people don't know that. For example, women know that they're supposed to get regular pap smears, but they don't always know that they're supposed to get colonoscopies. So recommended regularly for everyone over age 50, and two million Americans undergo procedures every year.

Now, that's a big number, but actually it's not enough. Only half of all Americans who are supposed to get colonoscopies do. The reason is pretty simple, is that it just doesn't sound like a very fun procedure, but most people say after it's done that it really wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be. And colonoscopies are so important, because if caught early, colon cancer is very, very treatable. If not caught early, you could really be in big trouble.

WHITFIELD: And of course, it's so important to urge so many more Americans to get their colonoscopies because this is the second leading cause of cancer deaths. That's a pretty remarkable statistic right there.

COHEN: It is, and people forget that. We hear so much about other types of cancer -- prostate cancer, breast cancer -- which of course are things that women want to have their mammograms, men need to have their prostate blood test called the PSA test, but people often forget about the colonoscopy, because frankly, I mean, you know, it's not a very pleasant thing to remember to do. But again, everyone I know who has had one says you know what, I don't know what I was so scared about. It really wasn't as bad as I thought, and if caught at an early stage, it is so treatable.

WHITFIELD: People automatically think it is going to be a painful procedure, but quite frankly, it's not because of the sedatives and because while it seems very invasive, the tube that they use really is very gentle.

COHEN: It's very gentle, it's very small and it's flexible.

And Fredricka mentioned sedation. Well, President Bush had sedation today. Sedation is kind of this twilight thing that goes on. So pain medications are given, a sedative is usually given, a thin, flexible scope with a small light and camera attached to it is then used. The sedatives, some people just sleep through this procedure. I took a relative to a colonoscopy not too long ago, and he fell asleep the minute it started and woke up a couple minutes after it ended. He didn't even remember what happened. Other people are awake. I just talked to someone today who said she watched the video while it was happening of her colon.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

COHEN: But she wasn't upset by it, because she was on drugs, basically.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, she was kind of groggy, kind of in and out. But even before that procedure, before they're actually put under or sort of under, they also have to drink sort of a liquid, correct, that kind of cleanses the system?

COHEN: That's what people say is the worst part, actually. The procedure itself -- it doesn't taste good. It doesn't taste good. And also, you're doing it too -- I don't want to get too graphic here -- but you're doing it to clean out your colon. You don't want anything in there. You want the camera to be able to see things, so you have to get rid of everything that's in there.

WHITFIELD: So then, what about after, you know, post-procedure? How quickly are you able to eat, what does that patient have to go through in terms of recovery?

COHEN: Right. Depending upon the amount of sedative that the patient got, it would take a little while. Let's say someone sleeps through it like the president did, woke up right after, it might take an hour or two to sort of lose some of that grogginess, it might take some people less time, it might take some people a little more time.

When a regular patient goes to get one of these, they have to actually have a person there to drive them home. You definitely don't want to drive after having a colonoscopy, and patients can start eating whenever they feel up to it, which is usually within a couple hours, pretty soon thereafter.

WHITFIELD: So men and women over 50 all should be getting regular colon tests, colonoscopies. But now, are there certain conditions for those who have to start a bit earlier, perhaps if it is hereditary, somewhere in the family someone has had colon cancer?

COHEN: Exactly. If someone in the family has had colon cancer or if someone in the family -- for example, in President Bush's case, his brother had colitis, which is something that you want to watch for colon cancer.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

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