Why Bill Clinton may be able to go back to work Monday

AP Photo/Danny JohnstonAlmost as quickly as news hit that former President Bill Clinton was admitted to Columbia Presbyterian hospital for heart problems, word followed that he underwent surgery to have two stents implanted to clear an artery blockage and that he was released from the hospital and en route to his Chappaqua, N.Y. home.

Now, his doctor and aides say he may be back to work as soon as Monday on Haiti relief efforts. Why is that possible after a heart blockage mended by surgery?

Two stents, small metal scaffolding devices that open constricted arteries, were implanted in one of Clinton's coronary arteries after an angioplasty procedure. Via angioplasty, a catheter is inserted in an artery in the patient's groin and then a balloon is inserted and inflated to expand the artery. When the artery is expanded, the stents are put in place to prop open the diseased artery.

There was no indication that Clinton, who underwent quadruple bypass surgery four years ago, suffered a heart attack. But because heart disease is progressive and not a one-time occurrence, as doctors noted, a blocked artery and the need for this kind of procedure is not usual after bypass surgery. The procedure took about an hour to perform, and the former president was able to get up about two hours later, his cardiologist, Dr. Allan Schwartz, told reporters.

Stents are increasingly common, implanted in 1 million Americans annually. Though they are commonly used, it does not mean they are not without risk, as the Wall Street Joural article notes. The use of drug-coated stents have reduced complications following the procedure, but patients are still put on special blood-thinning drugs to reduce the risk of blood clots related to the implanted stents.

So it would seem a few days rest, at least, would be in order, no matter what the peripatetic former president's handlers are saying. And, of course, Monday is a holiday. President's Day. So he could take it off, and I suspect his family may suggest he do just that.