By Karyn Chenoweth Oct 3, 2007, 16:31 GMT
Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who just announced his retirement from the Senate, was hospitalized today for a heart condition.
U.S. Senator John Warner (Republican- Virginia) listens to testimony during a hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. USA on 11 September 2007. Commander of coalition forces in Iraq U.S. Army General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testified about the current state of Iraq. EPA/STEFAN ZAKLIN
"Senator Warner came to the office today and handled planned appointments. He checked in with the Capitol Physician’s Office mid-morning, returned to his office for additional meetings, and then subsequently left this afternoon for an appointment at Inova Fairfax Hospital," said a press statement from his office.
"At Fairfax Hospital, Senator Warner had a procedure to correct atrial fibrillation. A second, routine procedure will be performed tomorrow. His doctors fully anticipate that Senator Warner will be home this weekend and back to work next week."
The American Heart Association describes atrial fibrillation as when "the heart's two small upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of beating effectively. Blood isn't pumped completely out of them, so it may pool and clot.
If a piece of a blood clot in the atria leaves the heart and becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke results."
About 15 percent of stroke victims suffer from atrial fibrillation.
Your Talkback on this Story