US Vice President Dick Cheney suffered shortness of breath and was hospitalised for four and a half hours today. He was expected to attend meetings at the White House later in the day.
US Vice President Dick Cheney
Doctors found his electrocardiogram unchanged and determined he was retaining fluid because of medication he was taking for an undisclosed foot problem.
Mr Cheney, who has a long history of heart problems and has a pacemaker, was placed on a diuretic at the hospital.
"He's doing fine," President George Bush told reporters during a visit to a suburban elementary school.
"I talked to him this morning. His health is good. He'll be coming in to work a little later on today."
Mr Cheney would succeed Mr Bush if he died.
Mr Bush's doctor notified him of Mr Cheney's hospitalisation this morning before the president reported to the Oval office, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
Mr Bush called Mr Cheney after the vice president was released from the hospital and returned to his residence, Mr McClellan said.
Mr McClellan bluntly dismissed any question of Cheney's future in the administration, saying the president was "absolutely" not considering replacing the vice president.
"The vice president's doing a great job on behalf of the American people," he said. "He's a very important member of the team."
He has had four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, two artery-clearing angioplasties and an operation to implant a special pacemaker in his chest.
It was unclear exactly what medication Cheney was taking for a foot ailment, but a side effect of commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs is fluid retention, which can cause swelling and shortness of breath and strain the heart muscle.
Fluid can also leave the circulatory system and accumulate in various parts of the body, including the lungs, which can cause a shortness of breath.
AP