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Egan's Health Puts His Final Holy Week In Question

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Apr 6, 2009 7:49 pm US/Eastern

Egan's Health Puts His Final Holy Week In Question

Cardinal, 77, Needs Pacemaker For Irregular Heartbeat; Procedure Postponed Because Of Stomach Ailment

Reporting
John Slattery
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Cardinal Edward Egan remained hospitalized Monday with a stomach ailment that developed over the weekend. CBS 2 HD later learned that doctors found that he also needs a heart pacemaker.

Egan was initially planned to have a pacemaker implant Monday, but that procedure has been temporarily postponed.

"It's not an emergency. It's not happening constantly, so there can be a little flexibility on when the pacemaker is installed," said Egan spokesman Joe Zwilling.

Heart arrhythmia in the 77-year-old cardinal was discovered Saturday night when he was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital for abdominal pain.

"The stomach pains have decreased somewhat," Zwilling said.

Doctors, who are not yet sure if the two problems are related, have decided to clear up the stomach ailment before dealing with a pacemaker. It's a device installed in a flap of skin in the upper chest, with a lead that is snaked through a vein into the heart. The procedure usually requires an overnight stay.

"The majority of patients really are fully active in two to three days," said Dr. Davendra Mehta of Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Egan, who is to retire next week, has recently been walking with a cane because of a leg problem he spoke of last week on a radio program.

"Right now, I have trouble with my legs. I had polio as a child," Egan said.

It's expected the stomach ailment will require up to two more days in the hospital; then, the pacemaker decision.

Right now it's up in the air as to whether the cardinal will say mass on Easter, and attend the installation of his successor.

Egan's replacement, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee, will be installed as archbishop of New York on April 15.

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