Cheney feared heart device in assassination effort
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| FILE - In this April 17, 2013 file photo, former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney leaves after attending the funeral service of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at St. Paul's Cathedral, in London. In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," Cheney says he once feared that terrorists could use the electrical device that had been implanted near his heart to kill him and had his doctor disable its wireless function. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he once feared that
terrorists could use the electrical device that had been implanted near
his heart to kill him and had his doctor disable its wireless function.
Cheney
has a history of heart trouble, suffering the first of five heart
attacks at age 37. He underwent a heart transplant last year at age 71.
In
an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," Cheney says doctors replaced an
implanted defibrillator near his heart in 2007. The device can detect
irregular heartbeats and control them with electrical jolts.
Cheney
says that he and his doctor, cardiologist Jonathan Reiner, turned off
the device's wireless function in case a terrorist tried to send his
heart a fatal shock.
Years later, Cheney watched an episode of the Showtime series "Homeland" in which such a scenario was part of the plot.
"I
found it credible," Cheney tells "60 Minutes" in a segment to be aired
Sunday. "I know from the experience we had, and the necessity for
adjusting my own device, that it was an accurate portrayal of what was
possible."
Cheney and Reiner are promoting a book they co-authored, "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey."
In
the "60 Minutes" interview, Reiner says he worried that Cheney couldn't
stand the pressure that came on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists
attacked the U.S. Medical tests seen that morning showed Cheney had
elevated levels of potassium in his blood, a condition called
hyperkalemia, which could lead to abnormal heart rhythms and cardiac
arrest.
Reiner says he watched news coverage
of the day's events on television and thought, "Oh, great, the vice
president is going to die tonight from hyperkalemia."
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he once feared that
terrorists could use the electrical device that had been implanted near
his heart to kill him and had his doctor disable its wireless function.
Cheney
has a history of heart trouble, suffering the first of five heart
attacks at age 37. He underwent a heart transplant last year at age 71.
In
an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," Cheney says doctors replaced an
implanted defibrillator near his heart in 2007. The device can detect
irregular heartbeats and control them with electrical jolts.
Cheney
says that he and his doctor, cardiologist Jonathan Reiner, turned off
the device's wireless function in case a terrorist tried to send his
heart a fatal shock.
Years later, Cheney watched an episode of the Showtime series "Homeland" in which such a scenario was part of the plot.
"I
found it credible," Cheney tells "60 Minutes" in a segment to be aired
Sunday. "I know from the experience we had, and the necessity for
adjusting my own device, that it was an accurate portrayal of what was
possible."
Cheney and Reiner are promoting a book they co-authored, "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey."
In
the "60 Minutes" interview, Reiner says he worried that Cheney couldn't
stand the pressure that came on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists
attacked the U.S. Medical tests seen that morning showed Cheney had
elevated levels of potassium in his blood, a condition called
hyperkalemia, which could lead to abnormal heart rhythms and cardiac
arrest.
Reiner says he watched news coverage
of the day's events on television and thought, "Oh, great, the vice
president is going to die tonight from hyperkalemia."
