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Irregular heartbeat sidelines Bradley until SundayCandidate in 'great shape,' will continue campaign
December 11, 1999 REDWOOD CITY, California (CNN) -- Former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley will resume his presidential campaign appearances Sunday after concerns over an irregular heartbeat interrupted a campaign swing through California on Friday. Bradley, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination along with Vice President Al Gore, canceled scheduled stops Friday in California and Seattle after complaining of an irregular heartbeat. He was comfortable and in good spirits after being released from the hospital about 5 p.m. (8 p.m. EST), his spokesman, Eric Hauser, said. "It corrected itself, and there was no treatment necessary," Hauser said.
Bradley began experiencing symptoms of atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heart rhythm -- Thursday night, aides said. "By the time he arrived at the hospital at 3:30 this afternoon, he converted to a normal rhythm, and therefore no therapeutic interventions were necessary," said Edward Anderson, one of the doctors who examined the candidate. The condition causes heart chambers to quiver. In some cases, atrial fibrillation can lead to a stroke. About 2 million Americans have the condition, which Bradley was diagnosed with in 1996. The former senator's heart irregularity should not affect his campaign, Hauser said. "He's had this condition for a few years, but he's in great physical shape. The doctors say it won't affect his functioning at all," he said. The last time the problem occurred was about a month ago, and "it, too, was self-correcting," Hauser added. The 56-year-old former professional basketball player has no known history of major health problems.
Aides said Bradley had been prepared to undergo a "fairly routine" procedure known as cardioversion. Cardioversion requires use of a low-voltage defibrillator while the patient is under general anesthesia, according to Bradley aides. Aides also said Bradley did not require any special observation, hospitalization or additional medication. Bradley has been taking the prescription drug Procanbid for the condition since 1998, according to medical records released by the campaign. Procanbid is the trade name for procainamide, an anti- arrhythmic agent.
The Bradley campaign released results of a regular physical examination that he underwent on December 3. It included a letter from his physician, Dr. Robert Heissenbuttel of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. The letter said Bradley's 1996 diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, one type of an irregular heart rhythm, indicated "no precipitating cause nor any cardiac disease identified." It also said Bradley had experienced "episodes" of irregular heartbeat four times over the next two years and had undergone two cardioversions in 1998. "Since May of 1998 after your third and last cardioversion," the letter said, "you have been treated with Procanbid." Since then, the letter said, "You have had two brief episodes of atrial fibrillation, which converted spontaneously. The medication has been effective in preventing or shortening the duration of the episodes and has been well tolerated with no side effects." Bradley's Saturday schedule was not reinstated. He is expected to address the Florida State Democratic Convention on Sunday in Orlando, aides said. Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno contributed to this report. |
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MORE STORIES:Friday, December 10, 1999
• A fractured right eases pressure on candidates • Clinton lauds Gore at lucrative DNC dinner • CNN/Time poll: McCain, Bush in tight races • After swearing-in, Moseley-Braun heads for New Zealand • CNN In-depth special: Panama Canal handover • Nuclear physicist Wen Ho Lee charged with 59 counts in Los Alamos case • Election 2000 briefs • Mayor's race is cast as a battle for San Francisco's soul • First he shaved mustache, now Toiv leaving White House • Gore rips Bradley for 'personal invective' • Foreshadowing debate, Forbes blasts Bush on taxes • Bush criticizes Gore on trade during New Hampshire campaigning • Bradley acknowledges he is little known in California • Bradley urges black church members to join his campaign in pursuing racial unity • Clinton sets big goals for presidential library • Lawyer says Lewinsky probably will be pretrial witness • Fordices file for divorce in wake of affair • Mrs. Clinton roils the waters on gay issues • National Democrats hope to raise enough millions to help nominee • Hawaii Supreme Court stops effort to legalize gay marriage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
