More Cheney heart trouble

WASHINGTON — Doctors examining Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday discovered an irregular heartbeat and applied an electrical shock to restore a normal rhythm, the White House said. It is the latest in a long string of episodes that has raised concern about the health of the man next in line for the presidency.

Cheney, 66, went home from the hospital and was expected back at work today.

Cheney went to his doctors complaining of a lingering cough, but during the checkup they determined he was experiencing atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart. His medical team sent the vice president to George Washington University Hospital for further tests, where it was decided the electrical impulse was needed to restore a regular heartbeat.

"The procedure went smoothly and without complication," the vice president's office said in a statement Monday night.

Cheney has a long history of heart trouble, including four heart attacks, most recently after the 2000 presidential election. He had a defibrillator implanted in 2001 to regulate his heartbeat. Doctors replaced the device this summer when its battery began to reach the end of its useful life. Cheney also had surgery in 2005 to treat aneurysms behind his knees and was treated last year after he felt short of breath. After a long trip to Asia earlier this year, doctors discovered and treated a blood clot in his leg.

This is the first time, however, that his doctors have found atrial fibrillation, a condition that afflicts about 2.2 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association. It causes the heart's two small upper chambers to beat too quickly to pump blood completely out, creating the risk of a clot that eventually could become lodged in the brain and cause a stroke. People with atrial fibrillation can experience dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath and fainting.

The condition can be treated with medication, but if that fails, doctors often order an electrical impulse called a cardioversion. Although it may restore a normal rhythm, it may not be a permanent solution and the heart can go back into atrial fibrillation.

"Atrial fibrillation is extremely common," said Dr. Zayd Eldadah, an electrophysiologist and director of cardiac-arrhythmia research at Washington Hospital Center. "The way to get rid of it right away is to do what he did today. This is standard practice, low-risk, easy to do."

He said Cheney's underlying heart problems were probably factors. Aging is a common factor, too.

"He'll probably have other episodes," said Eldadah, who is not involved in Cheney's care. "Atrial fibrillation in and of itself is not threatening. The problem is that it has long-term consequences. It increases the risk of stroke." He said Cheney probably would be put on the most potent blood thinner.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.