Musharraf may need by-pass; treatment abroad option being weighed

Published January 3, 2014
Pakistani rangers and army soldiers stand guard as a patient is wheeled in front of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi on Jan 3, 2014, where former military ruler Pervez Musharraf is being treated. — Photo by AFP
Pakistani rangers and army soldiers stand guard as a patient is wheeled in front of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi on Jan 3, 2014, where former military ruler Pervez Musharraf is being treated. — Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Three vessels in Pervez Musharraf's heart are blocked and he would either require an angioplasty or a heart by-pass, DawnNews quoted sources in the medical board as saying. The possibility of his treatment in Dubai or London was also being considered.

The former military strongman was moved to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) on Thursday while en route towards the premises of the special court hearing the treason case against him.

Sources said Musharraf was currently being administered blood thinning medication.

They said the former president was undergoing extreme mental stress which led to the chest pains and his current medical condition.

So far, no official statement has been issued by the army-run hospital about Musharraf’s condition.

Late on Thursday, a senior official at the AFIC had told Dawn that the former president had been brought to the emergency ward. His heartbeat was not normal and after some tests he was shifted to the Cardiac Care Unit-2 to keep him under observation. Otherwise, the official said, his condition was stable.

The official had said doctors did not suggest angiography until late in the night. “The patient has been shifted to the CCU to keep him under observation and for precautionary measures. Otherwise, Mr Musharraf is fit,” the official had said, adding that all necessary tests had been conducted and no sign of minor heart attack was found.

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