[DoctoBuntonTen]

NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/us...oper&st=cse#p8

Mr. Cheney’s heart will never beat at full strength again, doctors say. His new mechanical pump, a partial artificial heart known as a ventricular assist device, leaves patients without a pulse because it pushes blood continuously instead of mimicking the heart’s own beat. Most pulse-less patients feel nothing unusual, but the devices do pose significant risks of infection. They are implanted as a last resort either for permanent use or as a bridge to transplant until a donor heart can be found. Mr. Cheney, who has participated in some of the nation’s toughest decisions for decades, now faces a crucial one of his own: whether to seek a full heart transplant.

It is a decision he will most likely be forced to make within months. He is old enough that soon he will no longer qualify for a transplant, doctors say. And while it is possible for some patients with Mr. Cheney’s device to live for years, the long-term prospects remain unknown.

[JeremyIV]

I'll let the obvious jokes go unsaid here, and say only that I wish the best for Mr. Cheney. He's lived with heart disease for a long time, something that I, thankfully, have not had to do or witness in anyone close to me.