Clinton's bypass to be ordinary surgery

Many doctors and nurses weren't available during the holiday weekend.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former President Clinton's heart bypass, expected today or Tuesday, likely will be an ordinary replumbing of his ailing heart, not some new whiz-bang robotic or "keyhole" surgery, leading surgeons say.
And just as his operation is likely to be the same as the average American's, the delay in his surgery also suggests a problem typical for many patients: doctors and nurses off for the holiday weekend.
"I am surprised they are waiting that long," said Dr. Mamdouh Bakhos, chairman of cardiovascular surgery at Loyola University Health System, who along with other surgeons speculated about staffing shortages.
Clinton has been in New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia since Friday after suffering chest pains and shortness of breath.
The former president and his family issued a statement on the Clinton Foundation's Web site Sunday, saying they felt "blessed and grateful for the thousands of prayers and messages of good will we have received these past few days."
"While bypass surgery certainly isn't something to look forward to, we are very lucky that the condition was detected in time to have this procedure before something more serious occurred," the statement said.
Clinton spokesman Jim Kennedy said more than 26,000 get well messages have been posted on the Web site. He declined to be more specific about when Clinton would have the surgery, saying, "I don't think there's going to be an announcement about it ahead of time."
Reasons for delay
Medical reasons could explain the surgery delay. Some suggested it might have been put off to allow his body to clear dye, injected for diagnosis purposes, and Plavix, a blood-thinner Clinton was reportedly given that could cause excessive bleeding during and after the bypass.
"I think it's convenience of scheduling and possibly waiting to let the Plavix clear from his system," said Dr. Timothy Gardner, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania and an American Heart Association spokesman.
Officials at Presbyterian/Columbia have refused to comment.
Clinton's tests showed no heart attack, but a source close to the family said there were three or four clogged arteries.
Several surgeons uninvolved in Clinton's care said they didn't think his doctors would risk treating him with newer, experimental approaches like robotic surgery or laparoscopy, sometimes called keyhole surgery.
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