WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney disclosed Friday that he has been experiencing irregular heart rhythms and will check into a hospital on Saturday for tests that he expects will lead to the implant of a pacemaker to restore normal rhythm.
Cheney, who has a history of heart disease, told a briefing at the White House that a "pacemaker plus" could be put in after the tests.
"I look on this as an insurance policy," the vice president said. He said the odds were that he would need the pacemaker to be implanted, and he appeared resigned to it.
He said the condition would not hinder his ability to do his job. If he learned further information suggesting "I would not able to perform, I'd be the first to step down," Cheney said.
It will be his third hospitalization since last year's election.
Cheney has been suffering from coronary heart disease for a quarter century, beginning with a heart attack in 1978 when he was a young congressman. He had quadruple bypass surgery in 1988.
Last November, doctors treated Cheney for a mild heart attack by implanting a stent, a little metal scaffolding, to prop open an almost completely blocked artery. In March, Cheney underwent an angioplasty to clear a clogged artery.
In a statement released by the White House, Dr. Jonathan Samuel Reiner said Cheney will undergo an electrophysiology study "for the purpose of determining the vice president's risk of developing a persistent, abnormal heart rhythm."
The decision to go ahead with the test was made after doctors found, in two weeks of monitoring Cheney, "four brief, asymptomatic episodes of abnormally fast heart beats," Reiner said.
The test to be given to the vice president is like an internal electrocardiogram. Wires with electrical sensors are threaded through veins to the heart. These give readings on the functioning and rhythm of the heart muscles. The test gives precise measures of the electrical pathways across the heart muscles and helps to spot problems in the beating rhythm.
Cheney, who revealed his latest heart problem at a hastily called news conference in the White House briefing room, said he had noticed a rapid heart rate but ``I can't feel anything when it happens.''
He said he had discussed the situation with President Bush on Tuesday.
``The president's reaction was he wanted to know the specifics and the details, and strongly recommended that I go forward'' with the procedure, Cheney said.
A pacemaker is a battery-driven device that senses the beating rhythm of the heart and sends an electrical jolt to heart muscles to correct any abnormal rhythm.
The control unit of the device is about the size of a silver dollar and is generally implanted under a collar bone. Wire leads with electrical sensors are then threaded to the heart muscles.
Current pacemakers generally will last eight to 10 years and then must be replaced.
Cheney was smiling and looked robust when making his announcement. He said he had exercised on a stationary bike for half an hour earlier Friday.
The vice president said he expected to be home Saturday night after the procedure and return to work on Monday. He said his condition would not inhibit his ability to do his job.
He said his visit on Saturday to George Washington Hospital was a ``routine but precautionary step that my record calls for.''
``The risks are minimal'' for the new procedure, Cheney said. He said the same procedure is done about 100,000 times a year, and it will not require him to go under a general anesthetic.
The vice president has played a pivotal role in Bush administration policies, particularly the president's energy proposal. He also sits in on Bush's meetings with world leaders, and serves as a fund-raising headliner for the Republican Party. His appearance at an Orlando fund-raiser June 23 raised $2.5 million for the GOP.
Cheney was defense secretary during the presidency of Bush's father.
