NEW YORK - Former US president Bill Clinton is to undergo new surgery on Thursday, six months after a quadruple by-pass operation on his heart, his office announced.
"President Bill Clinton will be undergoing a medical procedure this week to remove fluid and scar tissue from his left chest cavity," said a statement released by the Clinton Foundation.
It said the procedure was a "recognized, occasional consequence of open-heart surgery."
The former president said "I feel great" as he went to the US State Department on Tuesday to hold a press conference with former president George Bush about their recent tour of tsunami stricken zones in Asia.
The operation under general anaesthesia will take place Thursday at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The statement said Clinton, 58, will stay in hospital for three to 10 days.
"The scar tissue developed as a result of fluid and inflammation causing compression and collapse of the lower lobe of the left lung," said the statement.
"The fluid buildup and lung collapse has caused the president some discomfort in recent weeks, but he has otherwise been in very good condition, recently passed a stress test and is walking up to four miles (6.5 kilometers) a day near his home in Chappaqua, New York."
The surgery will be done either through an incision or with a video-assisted thoracoscope inserted between the ribs. The statement said procedure is low risk and "once fully recovered, president Clinton is expected to resume his work without limitations."
Clinton underwent a four hour quadruple bypass operation on September 6 last year after complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath.
The notorious fast-food lover has since completely changed his eating habits and started intense personal exercise. After recovering from the operation, Clinton campaigned for Democratic candidate John Kerry ahead of the November 2 US presidential election.
03/08/2005 16:36 GMT