For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
June 29, 2001
Statement From Mary Matalin, Counselor to the Vice President
The following statement from the Vice President's cardiologist, Jonathan Samuel Reiner, M.D., details the Vice President's impending outpatient procedures at The George Washington University Hospital on Saturday, June 30.
A press conference with Dr. Reiner and his colleague, Sung W. Lee, M.D., FACC, will follow those procedures at Ross Hall, Room 117.
Statement
from Dr. Jonathan Samuel Reiner:
The Vice President of the United
States, Richard B. Cheney, will undergo elective, outpatient testing at
The George Washington University Hospital on Saturday, June 30,
2001. The procedure, an electrophysiology study (EPS), is
being performed for the purpose of determining the Vice President's
risk of developing a persistent, abnormal, heart rhythm. The
decision to proceed with electophysiology testing was prompted by the
finding of four brief, asymptomatic episodes of abnormally fast
heartbeats. This monitoring, performed two weeks ago, was proactively
designed to search for such rhythm abnormalities, which patients who
have had heart muscle damage as a result of coronary artery disease
have increased likelihood of developing. The Vice President
had not experienced any symptoms before, during, or after testing, and
continues to feel very well. The monitoring of two weeks ago was
performed with a Holter ECG monitor. A Holter monitor, worn
while the patient goes about their usual daily activities, provides a
continuous recording of the ECG. The monitor recorded four
separate 1 - 2 second episodes of abnormally fast heartbeats recorded
during the 34 hours that the Vice President wore it. Mr.
Cheney felt none of these occurrences. The electrophysiology
study scheduled for June 30 involves the analysis of waveforms acquired
from wires passed into the heart through the veins accessible at the
top of the leg. This test will help assess Mr. Cheney's
future risk of developing a sustained cardiac arrhythmia and determine
if an implantable cardioverter defibrillator should be placed during
the same procedure. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is
a small electronic device, roughly the size of a small pager, weighing
less than 80 grams, that is placed under the skin of the upper chest
and has the capacity to continuously monitor and analyze a patient's
heart rhythm. The ICD's main function is to interrupt rapid
heart rhythms. If the ICD detects an arrhythmia, it can
terminate the abnormal rhythm with either a pacemaker function or the
delivery of a low-energy electrical shock. The device, which
is designed to last 5 - 8 years before needing replacement, is placed
with the aid of local anesthesia and intravenous
sedation. Patients are usually discharged from the hospital
later the same day and may return to work the next day. It is
important to note that the current testing is unrelated to the Vice
President's prior coronary stenting and does not indicate progression
of his coronary artery disease. Vice President Cheney
continues to exercise 30 minutes per day several times per week and has
had no recurrence of chest pain or any other symptoms. If an ICD is
placed, the Vice President will be able to return to work in an
unrestricted fashion. The device will not, in any way,
inhibit Mr. Cheney from functioning in his current role as Vice
President of the United States and maintaining his current schedule.
Jonathan Samuel Reiner, MD Jonathan Reiner, MD, a physician of The
George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, is the
Director of GW Hospital's Cardiac Catherization
Laboratory. He is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at
the GW Medical Center, specializing in Interventional
Cardiology. Dr. Reiner received his Doctor of Medicine at
Georgetown University, completed his residency at Cornell University /
North Shore University Hospital and completed his Cardiology fellowship
at The George Washington University Medical Center. Dr.
Reiner has done extensive research and has published a wide range of
articles on cardiovascular disease. He is board certified in
Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Interventional
Cardiology. Sung W. Lee, MD, FACC Sung Lee, MD, a physician of The
George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, is the
Director of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology at the GW
Hospital. In addition, he is an Assistant Professor of
Medicine at the GW Medical Center. Dr. Lee received his
Doctor of Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia. He
completed his residency at the University of Maryland / VA
Hospitals. After spending four years as a research fellow in
the cardiovascular section, molecular hematology branch, of the
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of
Health, Dr. Lee completed his clinical Cardiology fellowship at The
George Washington University Medical Center. His special
interests include cardiac arrhythmias and device
interventions. Dr. Lee is board certified in Internal
Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Clinical Cardiac
Electrophysiology.
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