Bill Clinton Ok, Released From Hospital

Bill Clinton Released From Hospital


Former President Clinton left a New York hospital early Friday, less than a day after doctors performed a procedure to restore blood flow in one of his coronary arteries.

Terry McAuliffe, a Clinton confidant and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, confirmed Clinton had left New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia campus.

A statement from Douglas Band, adviser to Clinton, also confirmed the release, saying the former president expressed thanks to his doctors and "the many people who extended their best wishes to him for a quick recovery. He looks forward in the days ahead to getting back to the work of his foundation, and to Haiti relief and recovery efforts."

Clinton has "no evidence of heart attack or damage to his heart," and his prognosis is excellent after undergoing a procedure Thursday, according to Dr. Allan Schwartz, the hospital's chief of cardiology.

Schwartz said the procedure was "part of the natural history" of Clinton's treatment following his 2004 quadruple bypass surgery and "not a result of either his lifestyle or diet, both of which have been excellent."



President Obama called Clinton on Thursday evening and wished him a speedy recovery so he can continue his work on Haiti and other humanitarian efforts, a senior administration official said.

Schwartz said Clinton began experiencing "pressure or constriction" in his chest several days ago, episodes he described as "brief in nature but repetitive."

An initial electrocardiogram and blood test showed no evidence of heart attack, Schwartz said. Subsequent pictures of Clinton's arteries revealed that one of the bypass grafts from his 2004 surgery was "completely blocked," prompting the stent procedure, which took about an hour, Schwartz said.

A stent is a tubular scaffolding that is inserted into a blood vessel after it's been cleared to keep it open.

Schwartz said Clinton was up and walking about two hours after the surgery.

Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were with him at the hospital Thursday night, Schwartz said.

The secretary of state was scheduled to leave Friday on a planned trip to the Middle East, but her departure has been delayed until Saturday, a senior U.S. official said.

The ex-president has maintained an active schedule since leaving the White House in 2001, devoting much of his time to global philanthropic interests and speeches.

Friends have expressed concerns that his "frenetic pace" was taking a toll on his health, sources told CNN.

Since January 12, Clinton has traveled twice to Haiti in his latest role as the U.N. special envoy for the ravaged nation. On February 3, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon placed Clinton in charge of overseeing aid and reconstruction efforts there. He also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.

In fact, as doctors were wheeling Clinton into the operating room, Band had to take the phone out of the former president's hand, said McCauliffe.

"He was on a conference call dealing with Haiti," McAuliffe told CNN Friday morning. "And I guarantee as soon as he gets back today he's going to be back on the phone. He's passionate about helping the folks down there."

David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst, said that Clinton was exhausted and had a cold after returning from his second trip to Haiti earlier this month.

But Schwartz stressed Thursday that Clinton's lifestyle has nothing to do with his hospitalization.

"He has really toed the line in terms of both diet and exercise," Schwartz said, adding that he told Clinton he could be back in the office Monday.

Dr. Spencer King, who has not treated Clinton, rejected as outdated suggestions that the former president needs to slow down.

"This is kind of a '50s concept," he told CNN in a telephone interview Thursday. "Now we've got a lot of fantastic ways to prevent progression of heart disease -- medications, things that can be done. The outlook for people is totally different.

"If he slows down, he slows down," said King, president of St. Joseph's Heart and Vascular Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. But he added, "It would be very hard to show any data that would tell you he'll have more trouble if he hangs it up."

Clinton's 2004 surgery was performed at the same hospital where he was admitted Thursday. Doctors in 2005 operated again on Clinton to remove scar tissue and fluid that had built up after his bypass surgery.

Schwartz said Thursday that the type of bypass graft used in Clinton's 2004 surgery "has a 10 [percent] to 20 percent failure rate after five or six years."

King said Thursday's stent procedure may not be the end of Clinton's heart woes.

"The problem there is that that vein graft is developing disease, and sometimes it goes on and develops more," he said. "There's a substantial chance over the next three, four, five years that it could close up again."


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Sources: CNN, Google Maps