VP Cheney To Undergo Surgery To Repair Aneurysm

Vice President Dick Cheney will have 'routine' surgery on Saturday to repair an aneurysm in his right knee. The operation and recovery time will require the vice president to remain in the hospital for approximately 48 hours. The surgery will be performed at George Washington Hospital Center according to a spokeswoman for Cheney.

The aneurysm was discovered during a routine physical performed on Mr. Cheney earlier this year. A similar procedure will be performed on an aneurysm behind Cheney's left knee at a later date. Both operations will be done under the influence of a local anesthetic.

An aneurysm is a weakness in a blood vessel similar to the loosening up of a balloon after air has been blown into it a few times. If untreated, it can eventually cause the blood vessel to burst and may be fatal.

The 64-year-old vice president has a history of heart troubles and has suffered through four known heart attacks all of which took place before he assumed his present office.

One of Mr. Cheney's more recent checkups indicate that the pacemaker he had installed recently has not been activated since it was given to him.