Former VP Cheney released from hospital

WASHINGTON - February 24, 2010

Spokesman Peter Long said Cheney was discharged from George Washington University Hospital and feeling good. "He will resume his normal schedule shortly," Long said of Cheney, who has remained an active player in Republican politics.

The 69-year-old Cheney was hospitalized Monday after experiencing chest pains.

Aides say the heart attack was mild. It was his fifth since age 37, and he has undergone several heart procedures since.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked.

Surviving five heart attacks makes Cheney unusual, showing that he has good medical care as well as a particularly aggressive form of heart disease.

Those close to Cheney say he has grown adjusted to living with the disease, with help from his family.

The vice president is a prominent critic of President Barack Obama's administration and remains one of the most prominent voices in the Republican Party, choosing to stay in the spotlight while former President George W. Bush has not.

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