Sakharov Won’t Need Pacemaker or Heart Surgery, Doctor Tells Him

Soviet human rights activist Andrei D. Sakharov does not need a heart pacemaker or surgery at this time, his doctor told him Friday.

“Dr. Sakharov met today with Dr. Adolph M. Hatter Jr. at Massachusetts General Hospital and learned he will not need a cardiac pacemaker or surgery at this time,” hospital spokesman Martin Bander said.

Sakharov, 67, underwent tests at the hospital shortly after arriving two weeks ago on his first visit to the United States.

Bander refused to discuss any other details of the Soviet physicist’s physical condition. He said Sakharov, the 1985 Nobel peace laureate, would return to the hospital next week for a final evaluation.

Sakharov is staying with his stepdaughter Tatiana Yankelevich and her husband, Efrem, at their suburban Newton home. His wife, Yelena Bonner, remains in Moscow.

Sakharov received a visa to make his first trip to the United States for both medical reasons and to promote the Moscow-based International Foundation for Survival and Development of Humanity, of which he is a director.

Plans call for Sakharov to remain with Yankelevich’s family at least through Thanksgiving Day, and the family has asked the media to respect their privacy.