Cheney has blood clot in leg, returns to work

By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Doctors found a blood clot in U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's left leg on Monday but he was able to return to work and will be treated with blood thinning drugs, his office said.

Cheney, 66, who has a long history of heart trouble, went in for tests after experiencing "mild calf discomfort" following a nine-day trip to Asia and the Middle East that ended last week, his spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said.

There was no need to admit him to hospital, she said.

"An ultrasound revealed a deep venous thrombosis or blood clot in his left lower leg," she said.

"His doctors will treat him with blood thinning medication for several months. The vice president has returned to the White House to resume his schedule."

Experts consider a blood clot in the leg to be dangerous if not treated properly because it can move to the heart and cause a heart attack, to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism or to the brain and cause a stroke.

Cheney, who has been one of President George W. Bush's closest advisers and has wielded more power than many of his predecessors, has had four heart attacks but none since becoming vice president in January 2001.

Cheney spent 65 hours in the air during his recent trip, which included a visit to Afghanistan where a suicide bomber struck at the gates of the main U.S. military base while he was inside. U.S. officials say he was never in danger.