Former Vice President Dick Cheney received a heart transplant today, according to his office.
The 71-year-old has suffered five heart attacks since the age of 37. His most recent heart attack occured in 2010.
According to the Associated Press, more than 70 percent of heart transplant recipients survive for at least five years, although “survival is a bit lower for people over age 65.”
The following is a statement released today by the Office of Former Vice President Dick Cheney:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit of Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, VA after undergoing heart transplant surgery on Saturday, March 24, 2012. In 2010, Mr. Cheney had a Left Ventricular Assist Device implanted for treatment of end stage heart failure. The former Vice President has been on the cardiac transplant list for more than 20 months.
Although the former Vice President and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift.
Former Vice President Cheney is thankful to the teams of doctors and other medical professionals at Inova Fairfax and George Washington University Hospital for their continued outstanding care.