Bradley's Back On The Beat
Bill Bradley met reporters in California Saturday morning to deliver one message: that his health is not a problem. The Democratic presidential candidate said he's "feeling great" after a hospital examination for an irregular heartbeat, CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone reports.
Bradley said the problem arose when he missed medication he's been taking for a year-and-a-half to control a condition called atrial fibrilation. "There's no anxiety," he explained, "your heart just beats irregularly."
CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay says "atrial fibrilation is a very common irregular heartbeat. In most cases, it's not life-threatening and can correct itself without intervention."
The condition is shared by some 2 million Americans.
After Bradley was diagnosed with the condition, doctors used a small electric shock to return his heartbeat to normal. In May 1998, he was put on an anti-arrhythmic drug called Procanbid because the irregularity returned several times, as is common.
The condition may be as significant politically as it is medically. One reporter questioned whether the incident meant the 56-year-old candidate would be doing less campaigning. Bradley said there would be "no effect whatsoever."
President Clinton seemed to agree Saturday, noting, "I think he'll do just fine."
Campaigning in Northern California Friday, Bradley showed no sign of an irregular heartbeat -- which actually started the day before. But during the afternoon he canceled scheduled appearances, opting to see a doctor instead.
Bradley says a California highway, route 280, may have had a therapeutic effect. As he was driving along the road and enjoying its scenery en route to the hospital, his heart started beating normally again.
According to cardiologist Edward Anderson, by the time he arrived at Sequoia Hospital "he converted to a normal rhythm and therefore no therapeutic interventions were needed."
Bradley said he had planned to release his health records -- including details of his irregular heartbeat -- next week. "But my heart decided we should release it on Friday." he said. And so we released it on Friday."
The details were disclosed in a letter from Bradley's doctor, Robert Heissenbuttel, of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. The letter gives Bradley, who had a physical exam a week ago, excellent blood pressure and cholesterol levels and otherwise normal heart function. The doctor's notes indicate no other signs of disease.
Bradley says knee and shoulder injuries he suffered as a professional basketball player cause him more trouble than his heart does.
He planned to fly to Orlando, Fla., immediately after the news conference so he could keep a commitment to address the Democratic state convention there Sunday and appear for news photographers Saturday night.