Post by Salem6 on Oct 19, 2003 21:44:11 GMT
The prime minister was admitted to hospital at lunchtime on Sunday suffering from an irregular heart beat.
Mr Blair is now back in Downing Street
Downing Street has confirmed that Tony Blair first went to Stoke Mandeville Hospital from his Chequers residence after complaining of feeling "a little under the weather".
The 50-year-old, who has never suffered heart problems before, was advised to go London's Hammersmith Hospital, where he was found to have an irregular heartbeat.
"He should be able to carry on with his job as normal " Professor Sir Charles George, British Heart Foundation
BBC correspondent Clarence Mitchell said Mr Blair was kept in for five to six hours.
He underwent a series of tests but later returned home to Downing Street where he was said to be feeling "fine".
Doctors established that he had an irregular heart beat which causes fluctuations and palpitations.
A procedure known as a cardio version was carried out, our correspondent said.
Commons statement
Downing Street sought to play down the incident, saying there is no reason to be concerned.
BBC political correspondent Andrew Marr said officials described Mr Blair as "padding" around Number 10 on Sunday evening, chatting to people and in very good spirits.
A spokesman said: "The hospital says this is a relatively common condition and is easily treated.
WHAT IS SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA?
In SVT, the heart beats much faster than normal
People feel palpitations - a "fluttering" of the heart - during an attack
It is a relatively common condition
SVT is uncomfortable but usually benign
Attacks - which can occur as one-offs - are treated with drugs or electric shock therapy to stabilise the heart
The condition is usually linked to an underlying electrical irregularity in the heart
Attacks may be triggered by stress, having too much caffeine, having suffered a cold or flu
But an attack may also occur when there is no obvious trigger
"He has suffered no damage and he is fine. There is no reason why this should reoccur. They have advised him to rest for 24 hours."
The spokesman said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw would make a statement in the Commons on Monday on the EU summit in place of Mr Blair.
But Mr Blair would hold meetings during the day and be back at his desk full-time on Tuesday morning.
Acute admission
Senior hospital sources have told the BBC that Mr Blair was admitted suffering from supra ventricular tachycardia - a condition where the sufferer feels very unwell, with serious heart irregularities and shortness of breath.
It is understood the father-of-four was an acute admission, as the condition needs to be dealt with quickly, rather than by appointment.
"I very much hope he makes a swift recovery and I send him and his family all best wishes at this difficult time " Iain Duncan Smith .
Medical sources say a sufferer would have been treated either with chemicals or an electric shock to rectify their heartbeat quickly.
They would then have been kept in hospital for some hours to assess their response.
Mr Blair has been under a great deal of stress in recent months, particularly after the strains of the war in Iraq.
But experts said the condition was more likely to be something that simply affected some people rather than others, instead of being linked to stress.
Professor Sir Charles George, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, told BBC News Online: "This condition is generally benign, but obviously uncommon during an attack."
He said the attack could be a one-off incident.
"He should be able to carry on with his job as normal.
"And if it does reoccur, some sophisticated tests will be done. and treatment will be given with the aim of sorting things out once and for all."
Professor George added the fact that Mr Blair had been sent back to Downing Street suggested all was well.
"Since he is prime minister, and he has been allowed home, that's a very good testament to the fact that this is not a long-term problem."
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has sent his best wishes to Mr Blair.
In a statement, he said: "I was very sorry to hear that the Prime Minister was taken ill today and was briefly admitted to hospital.
"I very much hope he makes a swift recovery and I send him and his family all best wishes at this difficult time."
'Phone calls'
John Burton, who runs day-to-day affairs for Mr Blair in his constituency of Sedgefield, County Durham, said people there were hoping he made a speedy recovery.
He said: "He will be in their thoughts and prayers as a friend. We have already had a lot of phone calls from local people wishing him well."
Mr Burton, who is the prime minister's Labour Party agent, added: "I have spoken to Cherie and Tony's fine. He went into hospital and had some treatment and now he is fine.
"We are close family friends, we just asked after Tony. We were talking about him as just Tony not as the prime minister."
Michael Gove, of The Times, told BBC News that the Prime Minister is in good shape, although he is undoubtedly under a lot of pressure.
"Mr Blair is pretty fit. He hasn't smoked a cigarette since the day he was married, he works out relatively regularly, and he eats a remarkably health diet.
"But it is the case that he does have to juggle a variety of pressures; not just the pressures of office, but also those related to having a relatively young family with whom he wants to spend as much time with as possible.
"And living above the shop as he does, living in the complex of 10 and 11 Downing Street, it's very difficult for someone in his position to switch off from the cares and burdens of office."
Mr Blair is now back in Downing Street
Downing Street has confirmed that Tony Blair first went to Stoke Mandeville Hospital from his Chequers residence after complaining of feeling "a little under the weather".
The 50-year-old, who has never suffered heart problems before, was advised to go London's Hammersmith Hospital, where he was found to have an irregular heartbeat.
"He should be able to carry on with his job as normal " Professor Sir Charles George, British Heart Foundation
BBC correspondent Clarence Mitchell said Mr Blair was kept in for five to six hours.
He underwent a series of tests but later returned home to Downing Street where he was said to be feeling "fine".
Doctors established that he had an irregular heart beat which causes fluctuations and palpitations.
A procedure known as a cardio version was carried out, our correspondent said.
Commons statement
Downing Street sought to play down the incident, saying there is no reason to be concerned.
BBC political correspondent Andrew Marr said officials described Mr Blair as "padding" around Number 10 on Sunday evening, chatting to people and in very good spirits.
A spokesman said: "The hospital says this is a relatively common condition and is easily treated.
WHAT IS SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA?
In SVT, the heart beats much faster than normal
People feel palpitations - a "fluttering" of the heart - during an attack
It is a relatively common condition
SVT is uncomfortable but usually benign
Attacks - which can occur as one-offs - are treated with drugs or electric shock therapy to stabilise the heart
The condition is usually linked to an underlying electrical irregularity in the heart
Attacks may be triggered by stress, having too much caffeine, having suffered a cold or flu
But an attack may also occur when there is no obvious trigger
"He has suffered no damage and he is fine. There is no reason why this should reoccur. They have advised him to rest for 24 hours."
The spokesman said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw would make a statement in the Commons on Monday on the EU summit in place of Mr Blair.
But Mr Blair would hold meetings during the day and be back at his desk full-time on Tuesday morning.
Acute admission
Senior hospital sources have told the BBC that Mr Blair was admitted suffering from supra ventricular tachycardia - a condition where the sufferer feels very unwell, with serious heart irregularities and shortness of breath.
It is understood the father-of-four was an acute admission, as the condition needs to be dealt with quickly, rather than by appointment.
"I very much hope he makes a swift recovery and I send him and his family all best wishes at this difficult time " Iain Duncan Smith .
Medical sources say a sufferer would have been treated either with chemicals or an electric shock to rectify their heartbeat quickly.
They would then have been kept in hospital for some hours to assess their response.
Mr Blair has been under a great deal of stress in recent months, particularly after the strains of the war in Iraq.
But experts said the condition was more likely to be something that simply affected some people rather than others, instead of being linked to stress.
Professor Sir Charles George, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, told BBC News Online: "This condition is generally benign, but obviously uncommon during an attack."
He said the attack could be a one-off incident.
"He should be able to carry on with his job as normal.
"And if it does reoccur, some sophisticated tests will be done. and treatment will be given with the aim of sorting things out once and for all."
Professor George added the fact that Mr Blair had been sent back to Downing Street suggested all was well.
"Since he is prime minister, and he has been allowed home, that's a very good testament to the fact that this is not a long-term problem."
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has sent his best wishes to Mr Blair.
In a statement, he said: "I was very sorry to hear that the Prime Minister was taken ill today and was briefly admitted to hospital.
"I very much hope he makes a swift recovery and I send him and his family all best wishes at this difficult time."
'Phone calls'
John Burton, who runs day-to-day affairs for Mr Blair in his constituency of Sedgefield, County Durham, said people there were hoping he made a speedy recovery.
He said: "He will be in their thoughts and prayers as a friend. We have already had a lot of phone calls from local people wishing him well."
Mr Burton, who is the prime minister's Labour Party agent, added: "I have spoken to Cherie and Tony's fine. He went into hospital and had some treatment and now he is fine.
"We are close family friends, we just asked after Tony. We were talking about him as just Tony not as the prime minister."
Michael Gove, of The Times, told BBC News that the Prime Minister is in good shape, although he is undoubtedly under a lot of pressure.
"Mr Blair is pretty fit. He hasn't smoked a cigarette since the day he was married, he works out relatively regularly, and he eats a remarkably health diet.
"But it is the case that he does have to juggle a variety of pressures; not just the pressures of office, but also those related to having a relatively young family with whom he wants to spend as much time with as possible.
"And living above the shop as he does, living in the complex of 10 and 11 Downing Street, it's very difficult for someone in his position to switch off from the cares and burdens of office."