Dick Cheney Recovering From Heart Transplant

Dick Cheney, former United States Vice President who has had a long history of cardiovascular complications including multiple heart attacks, is currently recovering in a Virginia hospital after undergoing a heart transplant.

Cheney had been waiting for his heart transplant for longer than 20 months before it became available. While 20 months might not seem like a long period of time to be waiting for an organ, heart transplants are essentially a race against time. Kara Ahern, one of Cheney’s aides, released a statement which read:

“Although the former vice president [Dick Cheney] and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift.”

Former George W. Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, has suffered from five heart attacks since the age of 37 and as a result, his heart has lost its’ ability to pump as it should. Back in January of 2011, Cheney was quoted saying that his battery-powered heart pump made it “awkward to walk around.” Regarding his decision on whether or not to pursue a heart transplant, he was quoted saying at the time that:

“The technology is getting better and better.”

Heart transplant surgery utilizes a mechanical pump to ensure adequate blood circulation is maintained while surgeons remove the old heart and replace it with a new one. In the case of Cheney, surgeons removed his LVAD and connected a new one. As the human body’s immune system will attack foreign objects, such as Cheney’s implanted heart, medication intended to suppress the immune system must be taken for the remainder of the patient’s life.

Patients recovering from a heart transplant are typically allocated anywhere from one to two weeks in order to rehabilitate. During which period of time, intensive cardiac rehabilitation treatment is undergone.

via Y! News