Bush undergoes heart procedure
(CNN) - Former President George W. Bush, 67, underwent a procedure Tuesday morning to have a stent placed in his heart one day after a blockage was discovered in an artery, according to a statement from his office.
In the statement released by Bush's spokesman, the procedure was "performed successfully," without complication, at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
"President Bush is in high spirits, eager to return home tomorrow and resume his normal schedule on Thursday. He is grateful to the skilled medical professionals who have cared for him," the statement read.
The blockage was found during Bush's annual physical examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas on Monday.
"He thanks his family, friends, and fellow citizens for their prayers and well wishes. And he encourages us all to get our regular check-ups," the statement continued.
The 43rd president was known for having relatively good health during his tenure at the White House. For exercise, he was an active runner and frequently rode his mountain bike.
According to his 2006 annual exam, his medical history at the time showed no signs of hypertension or stroke, and he had 'low' to 'very low' coronary artery disease risk profile with a favorable family medical history and absence of modifiable risk factors.
The report also stated he had "minimal/mild" coronary artery calcification, a fairly common sign of early artery disease in which the lining of aortic wall becomes inflamed and plaque starts to build up over time. Calcium deposits begin to form in the artery wall.
Bush's statement Tuesday did not release details on whether his artery blockage was related to his past medical history.
Also, the White House announced in August 2007 that Bush was treated the year prior for Lyme disease. A White House spokesman at the time told CNN that it is "not uncommon" for Bush to get tick bites during his bike rides.
Lyme disease can be transmitted through the bite of a tick that carries the disease. The problem had been resolved, with no re-occurrence and no other symptoms, the White House said six years ago.
His 2007 physical exam also reported bouts of mild vertigo, but it did not interfere with his work.
Why so many negative comments about a man that had a medical procedure? What if it was you? No need to spread discontent. I wish him well with his health.
"So I was off by a little bit. Set aside $50/month, and you should have no problems covering the cost of a ROUTINE physical, and that's a hell of a lot better than paying an insurance company $250/month. I never said anything about if they find something wrong. If you're worried about that, maybe you can look into some sort of catastrophic coverage at a low price."
Uh actually, imbecile, catastrophic coverage can run hundreds more per month.
I'm not a particular fan of Bush and didn't like him at the time in particular. But, I do think he was President at a very challenging time after 911, I do believe he and the administration found it completely unacceptable to allow or tolerate terrorism – this is not the same as saying 'they' (us?) didn't do things that would amount to terrorism in the eyes of some. Do 'you' Bush 'haters' appreciate what a nearly impossible task it is to protect this country? Why do you think it is that Obama has maintained or increased many activities surround anti-terrorism – this after he campaigned against these ideals...Sitting back in your ephemeral chair like a God on high is ridiculous. I can only imagine what its like making decisions to protect while knowing the harm that is being done. Do you think he or any President making (with the other politicians) decisions doesn't agonize over them? It's interesting. Clinton, who I in general liked as President, attempted many different 'actions', some out in the public eye, some covert, but many didn't succeed – if they had, would he too be a tyrant?
Too bad that they did not insert a real heart in the guy.
Wow, how'd they find his heart? New advances in micro surgery?
Stop eating so much BBQ. Have a carrot once in a while.
Please stop crying about hate from the left. The right has shown they are the absolute worst. People right here on this site have wished way worse on President Obama and his family, yet no one says anything. I've even seen posts where people wish him dead. Face it, people are upset with Bush and crew for crashing the economy and are simply stating how they feel. I am one of those people, but I do hope he gets well soon.
Hate comes from both sides, left and right.
He has a HEART??????? Amazing!
After some of the stuff some of you have said about President Obama, I wish you wouldn't chastise others for doing the same back at a republican
I'm old, but I don't forget who said what and most of the time when they said it.
What heart? This man who lied to the UN, to our Allies, to Congress, and to the People for a fraud war that has murdered more than 5000 soldiers, mutilated tens of thousands, murdered more than 100,000 innocent women and children, commited war crimes of torture and attacking a country of no threat to us. He is a shameful embarrassment in American history who destroyed lives, destroyed trust of America around the world, and left the nation in financial ruin–and could not have cared less – except maybe Cheney who made most of the evil decisions for Bush. He gets no sympathy from me.
maximus
The bulk of these comments are made by knee-jerk letters who don't think before opening their mouths. 'I thought he didn't have a heart' – 'Worst President ever' – 'war criminal': Truth hurts doesn't it?
who are we, any of us, to judge?: "We" are the people left to deal with the fallout from his eight-year reign of error.
Do you think you're a saint, who has marched through life never doing anything to hurt anyone?: I'm no saint, but I've never committed war crimes, bankrupting the country in the name of further enriching my already wealthy friends.
These comments display a sorry, sorry, sorry lack of historical knowledge – 'worst ever' – Since your happy yo say, ever here of Jimmy Carter, LBJ, those are the modern era – we aren't even talking the 'old school' pre-WWII Presidents.: Neither LBJ nor Carter dragged the nation to the edge of a cliff and threatend to push us off while alienating every other nation on the planet. In fact, every Dem President combined didn't damage the United States the way the previous occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue did.
The truth hurts, max, but it is what it is.
Good luck and a speedy recovery. The world is a better place because of you.
Haha, apparently Bush's "routine physical exam" includes coronary angiography. Hopefully they were able to fit in the full body CT before he was discharged.
Being as liberal as they come (at least on social issues), I cannot understand why so many people hate someone just because they differ on opinions. Sure, I opposed Bush vehemently, but only because I thought his policies in general were very hurtful to the American people. But at the same time, they elected him, so the only thing to do was to oppose him and vote different in the next election. But hate? What drives people who hate those they disagree with? I still oppose most of his policies, but I'm glad he had access to good health care and recovers fully. And I hope the ACA is fully implemented so others can have that same care.
Heart Patient- You're right, they may have done a treadmill test as part of his routine check up. I could not have one because of a hip issue, so they did a nuclear medicine test that artificially stressed the heart. In regards to angiograms, not sure they were ever all that risky, but on rare occasion patients have adverse reactions to the contrast. You're right about his no limit coverage. If the Dr's want him to stay an extra day or two, the insurance company is not going to argue the point, or question whether a test is necessary. I'm just glad I had insurance that paid for most of mine, too many others are not that fortunate.
I was no fan of your tenure, but get well Mr. President. Not too certain about the autonomous power of the POTUS or who runs America anymore anyway.
Glad to hear he's doing great. One of our favorite people! Godspeed Mr. President 🙂
The comments here are disheartening. Where is simple human civility? I wish the former President well and prayers are with him and his family. I didn't agree with him on much (if anything) and I didn't vote for him, but why do we have to turn political disagreements into visceral hate?
And the operation was paid for by the same US taxpayers who paid for Cheney's pacemaker. Ironic, these guys are alive thanks to the socialist guvment health care they tried so hard to destroy.
Bush is utilizing his government healthcare. It seems to work pretty well for him. We need universal healthcare for all US citizens.
"My best advice, if your health matters, is to take care of yourself with a healthy lifestyle...the VAST majority of people who do so only have to endure the cost of the annual exam."
I am not sure how to take this comment of yours, so I will chalk it up to what I presume is your youth speaking.
Dee, " Why so many negative comments?."
I suppose you haven't been reading Yahoo News, The Hill and other sites who have loaded up with very hateful comments towards President Obama! Despicable.
Am sorry you feel this way, but we have taken enough of 5 years of hate, lies and deceit not to mention the hate emails. Yes. I still receive hate emails all the time!
Routine my butt, we the commoners will not get the care he gets.
Routine my but, we the commoners will not get the care he gets
Nothing like the warm and wonderful humanity shared by the kind loving human beings that populate this board. Just pure sunshine and warmth!!!!! All these wonderful human beings are certainly an example to us all... they just can't see it for themselves... lol.