VP Cheney's heart deemed stable after checkup

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a history of cardiac trouble, underwent a routine medical checkup on Saturday and his heart was declared in stable condition, his spokeswoman said.

President George W. Bush's powerful deputy returned to his official residence at the Naval Observatory and resumed his normal schedule after being evaluated by his doctors at George Washington University Hospital.

"The vice president's cardiac status remains stable," his spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said in a statement.

The tests included a physical exam, an electrocardiogram and imaging of stents placed in the arteries behind Cheney's knees in 2005, she said.

Cheney was treated last November for an irregular heart beat found during tests linked to a lingering cough from a cold, but he has not suffered ...