Whittington is out of immediate danger.

[Catherine Vincent]

So says the Statesman.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/15whittington.html

Doctors say Austin lawyer is stable, out of immediate danger.
By Sarah Coppola, Ken Herman

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Wednesday, February 15, 2006

CORPUS CHRISTI — A piece of birdshot lodged in Harry Whittington's heart caused a mild heart attack Tuesday, but doctors at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial said the Austin lawyer is expected to make a full recovery.

"His arteries are clear, and he has the heart of a much younger individual," Dr. David Blanchard said. "When birdshot is in your body, there is always a risk it can move."

Doctors discovered the problem while doing a routine evaluation of Whittington, 78, who was shot Saturday by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident.

Early Tuesday morning, doctors discovered an irregular heartbeat, Blanchard said. He said a piece of the birdshot had moved inside Whittington's body and is now lodged in his heart. The heartbeat irregularity — what a hospital spokeswoman called an "arterial fibulation" but other news outlets reported as an atrial fibrillation — had caused a minor heart attack, although Whittington had no chest pains or other symptoms, Blanchard said.

Doctors moved Whittington back into intensive care and did a cardiac catheterization after discovering the problem. In the procedure, dye is injected and travels to the heart to map the blood supply and monitor for blockage. Blanchard said doctors think the birdshot is in a fixed position and does not pose additional danger. Whittington will spend another week in the hospital, Blanchard said.

[im10ashus]

1. Thank heaven for that.

Now maybe we can hear his version.

[thecrow]

7. Yes, if Mr. Whittington is so perky

why don't they show us video evidence?
Can't they finda double?

[im10ashus]

9. I know.

I will believe it when I see it. And even then I will be skeptical.

[MercutioATC]

2. Good to hear.

This event was stupid enough without somebody dying.

[Libby2]

3. That's great !!

[av8rdave]

4. Nice to see a spot of good news!

Let's just hope it's accurate and not some kind of spin!

[Quakerfriend]

5. Very good news! Prayers for his full recovery.

:hug:

Does anyone else thinks it's a bit odd that his family has not spoken to the media yet?? Just wondering.

[sasha031]

6. you are all to kind...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeralgate

[Cooley Hurd]

8. Great news if true but I DON'T trust this Dr...

According to this article, Dr Blanchard is a fundie:

<snip>
And what about Dr. David Blanchard, who made such light of Whittington's injuries? Before the heart attack occurred, Blanchard gave no indication that pellets had entered Whittington's torso or major organs (we now know that at least one other pellet entered his liver). I found an interesting quote. After asserting that spiritual beliefs help people recover more quickly (which studies have suggested may be true), Blanchard said this of people with out of body and near death experiences:

"These people do quite well in their disease processes," he said. "The Lord wasn't quite ready for them yet . . . It makes believers out of them."
It's likely that Blanchard is also the same "Dr. David Blanchard" who is listed as Vice Chairperson of World Hope International, a Christian evangelical aid group.

Blanchard's certainly entitled to his own beliefs, and World Hope International (if he's the same Blanchard) has done some good work, albeit with a proselytizing bent. But most evangelicals in this country are ardent supporters of the Bush/Cheney Administration. This may explain the otherwize puzzling word choices Dr. Blanchard made to play down Whittington's injuries, especially before the heart attack made that more difficult to do.
</snip>

[Ian David]

15. Maybe Cheney snuck into the hospital and shot him again? n/t

[pitohui]

10. the alcoholic's epitaph: "his arteries are clear"

i've been told that alcoholics do have beautifully smooth arteries, too bad abt the other cardiovascular effects of heavy drinking

i remain convinced that cheney and whittington were drunk as skunks when it happened altho i do wish the old fool a full recovery, hell, the jokes just aren't as much fun if cheney actually kills the dude

[endarkenment]

11. Blanchard is suspect as a source. nt.

[txindy]

12. Unfortunately, they're spinning too much for my liking.

The columnists for the paper have it right, imo, when they hold Darth's feet to the fire, but the general reporting parrots the WH spin. Not surprising from a paper that endorsed Junior/Darth in both elections.

[phoebe]

13. that's good. However, his life expectancy has been shortened

by this entire ordeal. Any accident befalling a 78 year-old is likely to damage not only the body but the psyche as well. Any future health problem will be exacerbated by having gone through this.

Poor man - good thing he's got plenty of money.

[against all enemies]

14. --Cheney's gun is no longer loaded.

[Beausoir]

16. Best wishes to him and his family.

I can only imagine the ordeal they are going through.

I mean...the guy got shot in the face by Dick Cheney. Unbelievable.

[whatelseisnew]

17. Someone's making sure he doesn't die n/t

[Vickers]

18. "he has the heart of a much younger individual"

That was quick!

[Leopolds Ghost]

19. Cheyney's supply of frozen Babies does have its benefits.

:evilgrin:

[Catherine Vincent]

20. I don't know. If I was 20, I wouldn't want some bb shot stuck in my heart.