Photos show George Bush seriously ill?

demodewd

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Mon Dec-27-04 10:16 PM
Original message

Photos show George Bush seriously ill?

Edited on Mon Dec-27-04 10:19 PM by demodewd

http://snoedel.punt.nl/index.php?r=1&id=140934&tbl_archief=0#140934

George W. Bush apparently is wearing a medical device for "persons at risk of cardiac arrest." It is a LifeVest wearable defibrillator. He started using it sometime after his January 2002 fainting spell, which was attributed to choking.

Based on photos showing him wearing the device, one can conclude the fainting was due to atrial fibrillation (AF), which his father also had. His father's AF was caused by Graves' hyperthyroidism, which Barbara Bush also has. Bush Jr likely has AF and, less likely, Graves', based on his family history and symptoms. The AF may have caused a stroke or TIA (mini-stroke), of which physicians watching the debates detected symptoms. Observers have noted psychological symptoms consistent with this and with Wernicke-Korsakoff disease.
"The President remains in superb physical condition," said Adam M. Robinson, Jr., commander of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, after the president's fourth annual physical at the center on December 11.

"The doctors said that Mr. Bush had a 'low' to 'very low' risk of coronary artery disease, although they found evidence of minimal calcification of the coronary arteries themselves. As a preventative, they recommended that Mr. Bush take a daily aspirin and a statin, or cholesterol-lowering drug," reported the New York Times.

It's interesting that his doctors advised him to take aspirin and statin. Aspirin is used to prevent clotting, which is a problem with AF (the condition he apparently wears the LifeVest for). Statins are the most potent cholesterol-lowering agents, lowering LDL (so-called "bad cholesterol) by 30-50 percent. They are less effective than fibrates in lowering triglycerides and raising HDL ("good cholesterol"). But Bush's doctors said he had a "low" to "very low" risk of heart disease, and his total cholesterol level was listed as 170 mg/dL, which is considered within the normal range.

There is ongoing research into other areas where statins appear to have an effect, including dementia. Science Daily recently reported (11/17/04): "The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin slowed down mental decline and improved depressive symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease"

In contrast to the "fit for duty" report, the photos below show Mr. Bush at a presidential debate, with parts of a LifeVest wearable defibrillator clearly visible underneath his suit jacket.

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The LifeVest (left) has an electrode belt with four sensing/ECG electrodes. These send signals to the heart monitor/defibrillator, typically worn like a holster. When the monitor detects a life-threatening heart arrhythmia, it sends a signal to the small, handheld patient-interface module (a little like a computer "mouse" but with just buttons and alarms). The module provides an audible alarm. The user, if able to do so, depresses two buttons on the module to hold off a shock from the defibrillator. If the user faints and is unable to press the buttons, the defibrillator sends an electrical pulse to the large shocking electrode on the patient's back and a smaller one on the chest. The pulse can be repeated until the heart starts pumping blood effectively, up to five pulses.

In the center photo, showing Mr. Bush and Sen. Kerry at a debate, one can clearly see the shocking electrode between the shoulder blades as well as the electrical cord leading down to the monitor/defibrillator.

The photo on the right, from another debate, gives another view of the LifeVest components.
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