Dick Cheney undergoes heart transplant surgery

[Dos Equis]

I guess this explains why he looked so frail during his last public appearance. 

Dick Cheney undergoes heart transplant surgery
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 9:50 PM EDT, Sat March 24, 2012

Washington (CNN) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney was recovering Saturday evening after undergoing heart transplant surgery, his office said.

Cheney, 71, had surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia.

He had been on the cardiac transplant list for more than 20 months, a statement from his office said.

"Although the former vice president and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift," it said.

Cheney has a history of heart trouble, suffering at least five heart attacks since 1978. His first occurred when he was 37.

In June 2010, he was hospitalized at George Washington University for conditions related to his coronary artery disease. He had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implanted to help his heart pump.

In June 2001, Cheney was implanted with a pacemaker after he experienced irregular heart rhythms.

The former Wyoming congressman served as an influential vice president with President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.

In January, Showtime announced that it was producing a documentary about Cheney, tentatively titled "The World According to Dick Cheney."

The network said filmmaker R.J. Cutler "will offer up a measured, layered profile of the polarizing, controversial former vice president."

As vice president, Cheney worked diligently, mostly behind the scenes, to forge the Bush administration's identity and broad policy positions. He was considered the administration's point man on three major issues: energy, global warming and domestic terrorism.

Cheney also served in the Nixon White House and was chief of staff to President Gerald Ford.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/24/politics/cheney-transplant-surgery/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[Roger Bacon]

no one gives a shit...

[240 is Back]

damn, at 71 he got a new heart.   I thought they said before that the vessels around his ticker were too weak?  Maybe they got stronger? Or maybe the heart he had was just so bad it was this or nothing.

I wish him well.  His agenda wasn't that much diff from obama, in retrospect.  You dont want to wish death on anyone. 

Politically, we'll see how candidates for 2012 coddle up to him or distance themselves from endorsing his policies when giving their best wishes.

[Roger Bacon]

From Facebook, lol...

You've got that right. I'll guarantee you this bit of news will set back folks thoughts on signing donor cards 10 years...and I'm not joking.

[Purge_WTF]

  Waste of a good heart, IMO.

  I was on Yahoo! a few minutes ago, and some have said that the ticker should've gone to someone younger.

[240 is Back]

  Waste of a good heart, IMO.

  I was on Yahoo! a few minutes ago, and some have said that the ticker should've gone to someone younger.

the vast majority of hearts go to younger patients. 

it is only a coincidence that cheney got one.   $ doesn't play into it, surely this is true.

[Dos Equis]

the vast majority of hearts go to younger patients. 

it is only a coincidence that cheney got one.   $ doesn't play into it, surely this is true.

Wrong.  Adults and in particular those over 50 get the majority of heart transplants.

[240 is Back]

Wrong.  Adults and in particular those over 50 get the majority of heart transplants.

Right.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing, 332 people over age 65 received a heart transplant last year. The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64-year-olds.

Cheney is 71, so he doesn't actually fall into that 50-64 range that gets the majority of them.

71 is a bigger number than 64.   

[avxo]

Right.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing, 332 people over age 65 received a heart transplant last year. The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64-year-olds.

Cheney is 71, so he doesn't actually fall into that 50-64 range that gets the majority of them.

71 is a bigger number than 64.   

I very much doubt that his name, per se, had anything to do with him getting the transplant. It's not like you can go and "make" a heart that will be compatible with Cheney, or that UNOS would have prioritized Cheney over another, more compatible candidate. It is unusual for people at that age, and with disease as advanced as his to get a transplant, but, unless solid evidence to the contrary surfaces, it was just luck. A heart that matched him the best became available.

But you can bet that his health insurance and financial status played a role in helping him stay alive as long as he did and in helping him secure the best pre- and post-operative care.

[Hugo Chavez]

I very much doubt that his name, per se, had anything to do with him getting the transplant. It's not like you can go and "make" a heart that will be compatible with Cheney, or that UNOS would have prioritized Cheney over another, more compatible candidate. It is unusual for people at that age, and with disease as advanced as his to get a transplant, but, unless solid evidence to the contrary surfaces, it was just luck. A heart that matched him the best became available.

But you can bet that his health insurance and financial status played a role in helping him stay alive as long as he did and in helping him secure the best pre- and post-operative care.

I hate Darth Cheney but you're probably right.  He spent years on the waiting list and since the 90's the amount of people in the older age rage receiving heart transplants has increased.  It looks like he was pretty much at the top of the age range though.

[Bindare_Dundat]

They shouldnt have  wasted a good heart like that.

[Hugo Chavez]

They shouldnt have  wasted a good heart like that.

If there was a younger person in line for it, yea, it's a waste on Dick imo...  fucker already lived his life.  If there are other younger even if they are not on the list long, they should get it before him. But I don't know the details of how this all works so I won't call foul play.

[Dos Equis]

Cheney Out of Hospital After Getting New Heart
Tuesday, 03 Apr 2012

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was released from the hospital Tuesday, 10 days after getting a new heart, his office said.

Cheney, 71, received the organ from an unknown donor on March 24 at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va.

"As he leaves the hospital, the former vice president and his family want to again express their deep gratitude to the donor and the donor's family for this remarkable gift," aide Kara Ahern said in a statement.

Cheney waited nearly two years for the transplant. His lifelong history of heart disease includes five heart attacks, with the first one striking him at age 37 and the most recent one in 2010.

That year, Cheney also had surgery to implant a small pump to help keep his weakened and diseased heart beating. The "left ventricular assist device," or LVAD, helps a person live a fairly normal life while awaiting a heart transplant, although some people receive it as permanent therapy. It was one the few steps left, short of a transplant, to keep Cheney alive in the face of what he had acknowledged was "increasing congestive heart failure."

In January 2011, Cheney said he was getting by on the battery-powered device and hadn't made a decision on a transplant. But he said he'd "have to make a decision at some point whether I want to go for a transplant."

More than 3,100 people are on a national waiting list to receive a new heart. Just over 2,300 heart transplants were performed last year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Some 330 people died while waiting.

According to UNOS, 332 people over age 65 received a new heart last year. The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64-year-olds. Cheney's surgery led some to question whether he was too old to be given a new heart.

The odds of survival are good. More than 70 percent of heart transplant patients live at least five years, although survival is a bit lower for people over 65.

Cheney was President George W. Bush's vice president for eight years, beginning in 2001, and was a lightning rod for criticism. Opponents said he often advocated a belligerent U.S. stance in world affairs during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Cheney-Heart-Surgery-home/2012/04/03/id/434679

[garebear]

Right.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing, 332 people over age 65 received a heart transplant last year. The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64-year-olds.

Cheney is 71, so he doesn't actually fall into that 50-64 range that gets the majority of them.

71 is a bigger number than 64.   

I'm not sure if this is true. I'll pray and ask Jesus Christ for guidance on the subject.

I trust my faith more than your 'science'.

[Fury]

LOL @ multiple "libertarians" wanting to play death panel because they don't like the guy.

[avxo]

LOL @ multiple "libertarians" wanting to play death panel because they don't like the guy.

Your avatar is the best.