HOUSTON (Reuters) - Doctors on Friday said they implanted a pacemaker-defibrillator in former Polish President Lech Walesa's chest to help his weakened heart.
"He tolerated the procedure very, very well. He was in verygood spirits. He woke up from anaesthesia making jokes," saidWalesa's cardiologist Guillermo Torre.
Walesa, 64, entered Houston's Methodist Hospital on Mondayfor treatment of chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath.He received a stent to widen a coronary artery on Thursday.
The former Polish leader, who was awarded the Nobel PeacePrize in 1983 for his role in defeating communism and served asPoland's president from 1990 to 1995, interrupted a speakingtrip to Mexico to come to Houston.
Walesa could be released from the hospital on Sunday orMonday, then undergo observation and testing next week as anoutpatient.
He should be able to return to Mexico to resume hisschedule late next week, Torre said.
Doctors said he suffers from cardiomyopathy, a weakness ofthe heart, that could eventually require bypass surgery or aheart transplant, but they want to avoid those measures.
Walesa also has diabetes, high cholesterol and sleep apnea,or irregular breathing while sleeping, and doctors haveprescribed medicines and treatments to deal with each, Torresaid.
(Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by Xavier Briand)
