Cheney hospitalized briefly with shortness of breath
A foot ailment forces Vice President Dick Cheney to use a cane Friday in Kansas City, Missouri. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Dick Cheney White House or or Create Your Own
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalized for several hours early Monday at George Washington University Hospital after suffering shortness of breath, the White House said.
The vice president left the hospital after about four hours, aides said.
The problem is believed to be associated with medicine that Cheney is taking for a foot problem.
"His doctors found that his EKG [electrocardiogram] was unchanged and determined that he was retaining fluid as a result of anti-inflammatory medication he has been taking for a foot problem," a statement from Cheney's office said.
"They have placed him on a diuretic."
The vice president, 64, is believed to be suffering a recurring osteoarthritis problem in his left foot.
Cheney went to the hospital by car about 3 a.m. ET and was accompanied by his wife, Lynne, who remained with him, a Bush administration source said.
The vice president has history of health problems, including four heart attacks, a persistent concern since he was picked as President Bush's running mate in 2000. He had three mild heart attacks and quadruple-bypass surgery before he was 50, and one attack since.
His first heart attack came in 1978 at age 37.
He underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 1988. A coronary stent was inserted in November 2000.
In June 2001, doctors implanted a cardioverter defibrillator, a device that monitors and normalizes an irregular heartbeat. Cheney refers to it as his "pacemaker plus."
In May, he told CNN, "The technology has stayed ahead of my disease. ... I get checked every 90 days very carefully."
Vice President Cheney at his desk.
Early Monday morning, U.S.Vice President Dick Cheney was taken to George Washington University Hospital after he reported having shortness of breath. 

Tests on the Vice President indicated that his symptoms weren't related to his extensive history of heart disase, a White House spokesperson said. Doctors eventually determined that he was "retaining fluid as a result of anti-inflammatory medication he has been taking for a foot problem," and was prescribed a diuretic.  He was released from the hospital around 7:30am, and returned to work on Monday afternoon after resting at his home.

Doctors say that an anti-inflammatory prescribed to him for an operation on his foot may have played a role in the health scare. He was seen Friday using a cane. 

Cheney has had a history of heart-related issues for several years and recently had a pacemaker implanted.