Vice Prez Cheney Goes Back to Work

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/02/2001 at 04:20 PM EDT

Vice President Dick Cheney, 60, is returning to work on Monday, energized with a new heart pacemaker in his chest. Ironically, he is due to promote his energy strategy, as well as attend his usual series of White House meetings, say his staff members. After meeting with President Bush on Monday morning, Cheney will field energy questions from reporters in at least three radio interviews, said spokeswoman Juleanna Glover Weiss. He is also expected to participate in a wide range of staff meetings. There will be no public appearances, however. A dual-purpose pacemaker was implanted in Cheney's chest in an hour-long procedure Saturday at Washington's George Washington University Hospital. He was reportedly home a few hours later. The pacemaker also contains a special device that will activate a defibrillator should the Veep's heart suddenly surge to a dangerous, high-speed beat. A defibrillator sends an electrical jolt to the lower chamber of the heart and causes it to slow down. Sometimes this will cause the heart to slow too much, and that is when the pacemaker turns on and adjusts the rhythm.