WASHINGTON - US Vice President Dick Cheney was to undergo evaluation and possible treatment after his doctors found an irregular heartbeat during a medical examination on Monday, a Cheney spokeswoman said.
Cheney, who has a history of severe cardiac trouble, was to visit George Washington University Hospital "for further evaluation and, if indicated, cardioversion, delivery of an electric impulse to the heart, which is a standard treatment for atrial fibrillation," said Megan Mitchell.
"This will be an outpatient procedure, and the vice president is expected to return home Monday night," Mitchell said in a statement, adding that she would provide further information after the evaluation.
Cheney, 66, had sought medical attention for "a lingering cough from a cold" when "he was incidentally found to have an irregular heartbeat, which on further testing was determined to be atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart," she said.
Cheney had his fourth heart attack in 2000, the year he and President George W. Bush won the White House. Cheney underwent an angioplasty weeks after being sworn in as vice president in 2001.
In September 2005 Cheney had an operation for blood clots behind each of his knees, and in January 2006 he was hospitalized for shortness of breath.
The vice president has been taking blood thinners after doctors discovered a blood clot behind his left knee following a nine-day trip to Asia in March.
ok/sg
11/26/2007 20:57 GMT