Go Enter ZIP code or state abbreviation. Alan Wasserman, the interim chairman of the Department of Medicine at George Washington University Medical Center, said Cheney was doing well. The vice presidential candidate underwent a two-hour procedure in which a catheter was inserted into an artery leading to his heart and a small wire mesh stent was put in to help keep the artery from narrowing. Wasserman said Cheney will probably remain in the hospital for 48 to 72 hours.
Doctors often insert stents to help keep an artery open.
Wasserman and Texas Gov. George W. Bush reported early this afternoon that Cheney did not have a heart attack. But around 5 p.m. today, Wasserman again met with reporters in Washington and acknowledged what tests had confirmed. He sounded strong and vibrant. Bush quickly brushed aside a reporter's question about whether Cheney could continue in the second spot on the Republican ticket. He did the right thing.