Cheney’s Pacemaker Shows No Trouble Signs, His Doctors Say

Doctors who examined Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday reported that the vice president’s implanted defibrillator-pacemaker was functioning properly and had not been activated to treat an abnormal heartbeat.

The 61-year-old vice president, who has had four heart attacks since 1978, underwent a semiannual cardiovascular exam. His counselor, Mary Matalin, said Cheney’s doctor, Jonathan Reiner, reported Cheney could “continue to live a vigorous lifestyle.”

Matalin said Reiner found that the device “continues to function flawlessly and has not detected nor treated any arrhythmia.”

The device, the size of a pager, was implanted in June 2001 after doctors determined that Cheney was at risk of developing a potentially fatal irregular heartbeat. It monitors the heartbeat and can send an electric pulse to correct an abnormal rhythm.

Doctors use external devices to monitor the device’s performance and to determine whether it was activated.

Matalin also said Cheney was given an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram to check the condition of his vascular system. The exams showed no sign he had developed additional cardiovascular problems, she said.