Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Dr. Douglas Zipes Discusses Vice Presidential Heart Operation

Aired July 02, 2001 - 07:38   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Vice President Dick Cheney is returning for a full day at the office today after a small device was implanted in his chest to help regulate his heartbeat.

We're going to get more on this procedure from Dr. Douglas Zipes. He is the president of the American College of Cardiology, and he co- edited a textbook on the procedure performed on the vice president. And he also talked to the vice president's doctor.

Good morning, Dr. Zipes.

DR. DOUGLAS ZIPES, CARDIOLOGIST: Good morning.

LIN: So what did Dr. Reiner tell you? How's the prognosis?

ZIPES: Well, I haven't spoke to him since the procedure, but we talked before, and clearly the prognosis at that time was excellent, and still is, after having the device implanted.

LIN: All right. Now we're going to get a good view of the vice president going to work today. We have cameras staked out outside of his house.

Give me an idea of exactly how this small device works. You have one with you.

ZIPES: I do. The device is implanted beneath the left collarbone in the position that I'm holding it, and it's connected to the heart by these long skinny wires that are passed inside a blood vessel. All of this is then beneath the skin, and the wires monitor the heartbeat, transmit that to this part of the device, which then is capable of either slowing a fast heartbeat or speeding up a slow heartbeat, all automatically.

LIN: How does it do that?

ZIPES: It monitors each heartbeat, and when it gets too slow, it delivers a tiny electrical impulse to the heart to speed it up, and if the heartbeat gets too fast, it can deliver a shock much like you see on "ER," on TV, with paddles on the chest. This is done from inside the heart.

LIN: Except when I see it on television, it looks pretty dramatic, so I'm trying to imagine the vice president in a Cabinet meeting and suddenly his heart receives a shock from this defibrillator.

ZIPES: Certainly, the amount of energy is much, much less, a twelfth or so of what would be delivered to the skin. But still, if he were to get a shock, it's a jolt. My patients describe it anywhere between a giant hiccup or a mule kick in the chest.

LIN: Oh, dear! He is going to be back at work today, and we do wish him well, of course. Is it unusual for a patient to go back to the office this quickly?

ZIPES: Not at all. That's the beauty of these devices. They're self-contained. The patient should forget about them and live their normal life.

LIN: what are the things that he should be mindful of, at least for today?

ZIPES: The biggest thing is not to extend his arms over his head because that then can stretch these wires and might displace them. After several weeks or so, that's no longer a problem.

LIN: he's planning on going fly-fishing at the end of the week. Is that likely?

ZIPES: I don't see why not.

LIN: Maybe he has a short swing or something.

ZIPES: Right.

LIN: Well, at the same time, when you consider that this is a man who has had four heart attacks -- e had his first heart attack at the age of 37 -- what can this device do, and what can't it do, for a man who really has a very serious history of heart failure?

ZIPES: Well, this device is designed solely to treat the heartbeat problem, and that's obviously a major issue here, and this device will prevent someone from dying from a rapid heartbeat problem, with an accuracy of less than 1 percent mortality each year.

Obviously, he has coronary disease problems, and Dr. Reiner is taking care of them with a stent that he last placed.

LIN: Well, Dr. Zipes, do you expect that the vice president is going to be able to finish his term?

ZIPES: Without any question, and possibly even a second.

LIN: Thank you very much, Dr. Zipes.

ZIPES: My pleasure.

LIN: I won't have to ask you for your political persuasion today. Good to see you.

ZIPES: Thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com