Former President Bill Clinton to Have Multiple Bypass Surgery
abcnews.go.com
Sept. 3, 2004 — Former President Bill Clinton will undergo quadruple heart bypass surgery in New York City, ABCNEWS has learned.
Clinton, 58, is planning to undergo the operation at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan on Saturday, a source close to Clinton told ABC News.
The severity of Clinton's coronary problem was discovered after tests this morning at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., a source said. His coronary results were not favorable and he was found to have multiple lesions, the source added.
A senior source with the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said the campaign is aware of Clinton's hospital trip this morning, but that there is contradictory information about the diagnosis and what's next. Campaign officials are said to be closely monitoring the situation.
ABC News' medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson said that without more information, it's hard to know how serious Clinton's situation is, but that he very well could enjoy a healthy recovery.
"It's a very routine operation," Johnson said. "He has in his favor that he's a relatively young man and in other ways appears to be in relatively good health."
Still Active, Popular
Clinton, who served two terms as president from 1993 to 2001, recently returned to the public eye. He gave a televised primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention in July, and released My Life, his best-selling memoir, this summer.
Though he always has had bitter detractors, Clinton's popularity remains high, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. As he started a book tour in June, the poll showed his retrospective job approval rating at 62 percent, topping its average during his presidency. |
