WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney went to the hospital at 3 a.m. after suffering shortness of breath, and left after about four hours, but aides said the incident had nothing to do with his past heart problems and he was on the job later yesterday.
“His doctors found that his EKG [electrocardiogram] was unchanged and determined that he was retaining fluid as a result of anti-inflammatory medication he has been taking for a foot problem,” said Cheney press secretary, Lea Anne McBride.
Cheney, 64, was given a diuretic, said aides, adding he was taking the unidentified medication that caused fluid retention to treat tendinitis and pain in his big toe, which some doctors think is gout while others believe it is osteoarthritis.
President Bush said, “He’s doing fine . . . His health is good” and Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said Cheney will “absolutely” serve for the final three years of Bush’s second term.
He bluntly dismissed any question of Cheney’s future in the administration, saying Bush was not considering replacing the vice president.