Bypass Operations News Today

Fluid related to heart disease. nbcs mike viqueiras outside the washington university center in washington. what is the latest there behind you? >> reporter: well, good morning, alex. dick cheneys heart history, the history of heart problems, five heart attacks since age 37, bypass operations and angioplasties, pacemaker inserted, when he comes here to george washington university hospital in downtown washington, people assume that its heart related or perhaps a heart attack. nbc news learn he d...

Over there and then just days later these chest pains were not very strong at all. and then they got worse. you have talked to him? >> i havent talked to him. im not going to try to talk to him. im sure he needs rest. i might try to call my friend doug band when things quiet down to get a first-hand report. look, he has what most people after bypass operations, is my understanding, talking to some doctors today, experienced. which is some coagulation and a need for a stent. all the stent is for ...

The others, this is a classic case, isnt it, of a thing well done? >> reporter: yeah. i mean today -- first of all, larry, let me say im glad youre doing well. you didnt share that with me, but im glad to hear that the procedure you had a few weeks ago, youre feeling well. thats good news. this does happen and as dr. isom and dr. schwartz both pointed out this has more to do with the natural history of his heart disease. he had this bypass operation six years ago. i know a lot of people have had...

Buildup, not common in bypass operations. >> that was six months after the bypass operation. >> that was procedure was enormously painful for him. enormously. the recovery took an awfully long time. it took, i think, quite a long time. hes fine now. i saw him a couple months ago and had dinner with him. hes walking, exercising, playing golf. more disciplined about his food than he and i were in 1992 when we were eating our way across america. hes doing everything he can do. and what i keep comin...

Going to find that many people who have significant disease. >> the problem with ct angiograms is the radiation is incredibly high. they put out studies about that. >> there are risks to procedures that would diagnose this thing. its a risk/benefit sort of thing. what was interesting about that interview, it was sort of the first time he really talked about the fact the operation, itself, did have impact on him. he really said he was doing fine. he felt great afterwards. admitted, it discombobul...

>> paul, did you see that difference? >> big-time, anderson. i think frankly his friends and family maybe saw it more than the public did. he had to have a second operation, sanjays familiar with this, because of fluid buildup, not common in bypass operations. >> that was six months after the bypass operation. >> that procedure was enormously painful for him. enormously. the recovery took an awfully long time. it took, i think, quite a long time. hes fine now. i saw him a couple months ago and h...

That bill clinton wont. so it is so interesting that some people when they get the bad news, have a heart attack or have accidents put in, kath threat tezization which is serious and some dont. lyndon johnson, when he was president, im a student of history, as you know, so many of us are when he was taken out of office, left office that last time, replaced by richard nixon, he lit up a cigarette on the airplane saying i have lived for the country all these years, now i am going to live for mysel...

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