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CNN Live Saturday

Vice President Cheney Gets Ready to Leave the Hospital

Aired June 30, 2001 - 15:00   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors in Washington say that today's operation on the vice president was a complete success. Surgeons implanted a defibrillator this morning to regulate the vice president's irregular heartbeat. It's the latest setback for Mr. Cheney, who has had a history of heart disease. And for more now on the vice president's condition and his prognosis, here's CNN's Rea Blakey -- Rea.

REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brian, the physicians here at George Washington University hospital anticipate that the vice president will have an excellent prognosis. They don't see any reason that his activity should be limited, that he should go on, after the next couple of days, at which point they will be watching him just to make sure there are no complications from the incision, but they anticipate that he will be able to fully carry out his duties as vice president of the United States.

We are anticipating that he will be departing the hospital any moment now, just to let you know that we are watching that. He's been here since about 8:30 this morning. He arrived in good spirits, apparently waving at the cameras, having just an opportunity to say hello, and then went inside, underwent about a half-hour procedure, during which doctors tested the electrical system of his heart, and they wanted to really create an arrhythmia, so that they could define exactly what was going wrong with the vice president's heart, and therefore adjust it.

They did that. They tested some machinery, a device called a Medtronic Gem III DD -- DV, rather. It actually is a defibrillator that has now been implanted into the vice president's heart. You see the cardiac electrophysiology surgeon holding it up to the cameras there so that people can get a good look at it. As you mentioned, it weighs about three ounces. It will regulate the vice president's heart such that if he does have an arrhythmia, a tachycardia, which actually is a very fast-beating heartbeat, that that device will slow it down.

It will also function, however, as a pacemaker. The doctors insisted that this was a very proactive measure that they took, and that there really was no other health-related issue going on at this time, just a proactive measure for the vice president's health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. JONATHAN REINER, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: This device is really an insurance policy, and I think as we move forward, you know, I have every expectation that he will continue to function in the capacity he is now. I would be the first to tell the vice president if I thought otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKEY: We are told that the vice president should be leaving any moment. The motorcade apparently getting ready, there are a lot of bystanders in that direction, waiting to see him come out.

We don't anticipate that there will be any complications as a result. We were told, in fact, during the news conference, that vice president was up, he was resting. He had been sedated during the procedure, but that he had only taken Tylenol for pain relief and that he had shrimp salad for lunch.

There were questions from reporters regarding whether or not this particular device, this defibrillator, would cause problems in regards to magnet sensitivity for the vice president. We are told by the physicians that there is a shield in this device that would prevent most magnets from affecting it, from triggering the device and going off. However, we are told that the vice president might, if she should pass through an airport metal detector, he might make that go off.

So, at this point, we are, again, anticipating that his departure is any moment now, Brian. We'll keep you posted.

NELSON: Thank you, Rea. We'll get back to you later.

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