Cheney146;s gun victim suffers heart attack

The 78-year-old lawyer shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident over the weekend suffered a minor heart attack early on Tues...

The 78-year-old lawyer shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident over the weekend suffered a minor heart attack early on Tuesday caused by birdshot lodged in his heart, hospital officials said.

The lawyer, Harry M Whittington, was moved back into the intensive care unit at Christus Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi to be monitored for up to a week in case the birdshot shifted or additional pellets in his body moved into other organs, the officials said Dr David Blanchard, the emergency room chief, estimated that Whittington had more than five but 8220;probably less than 150 to 2008221; pellets lodged in his body.

Dr Blanchard said the hospital8217;s cardiologists were optimistic that the metallic pellet in Whittington8217;s heart would not travel farther and that he would be able to function normally. They said they did not consider the other pellets in his body problematic, and they currently have no plans to remove them.

Cheney8217;s office, in its first announcement about the incident, released a statement shortly after 2:30 pm eastern time saying that his 8220;thoughts and prayers are with Mr Whittington and his family8221; and that Cheney had spoken by telephone to Whittington an hour earlier. The statement added that Whittington8217;s spirits were 8220;good,8221; but 8220;obviously his situation deserves the careful monitoring that his doctors are providing.8221;

The downturn in Whittington8217;s health significantly changed the tone of the White House reaction to the hunting accident. In Texas, Carlos Valdez, the district attorney in Kleberg County, said a fatality would immediately spur a new report from the local sheriff and, most likely, a grand jury investigation.

Cheney first learned of the change in Whittington8217;s condition when he arrived at his West Wing office on Tuesday, shortly after doctors in Corpus Christi said they had picked up an irregular heartbeat from Whittington on their morning rounds. 8212;The New York Times