WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- A medical examination that prompted President George W. Bush on Saturday to transfer his executive branch powers to Vice President Dick Cheney while under sedation found no abnormalities, according to White House physician Richard Tubb.
"There were no polyps, no abnormalities," said Tubb during an afternoon briefing with reporters in Washington.
Bush briefly transferred his authority to Cheney while Bush underwent a colonoscopy, a procedure that required sedation. The examination was performed at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
The transfer of power lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes, the White House said. At 7:09 a.m. EST Article 25 of the U.S. Constitution was invoked temporarily transferring the power of the presidency to Cheney, the White House said. The procedure was completed at 7:29 a.m. and Bush reassumed his presidential powers at 9:24 a.m.
Bush underwent the 20-minute procedure early Saturday and awoke from the anesthesia about a minute after the sedation was halted, Tubb said. After recovering, the president was moved to "a more comfortable room," made a few telephone calls and rejoined his wife Laura and brother Marvin.
Tubb said he gave the president a comprehensive examination at about 8:30 a.m. after the procedure was finished. Bush was engaging in his usual workout a little after noon, Tubb said. The president is known for his dedication to physical fitness and only a week ago participated in a three-mile run to highlight the healthy lifestyle.
Bush, who turns 56 next week and had shown no signs of illness, said he decided to temporarily hand off his presidential authority as a precaution for a nation at war.
"I'm the first president to have done so under this type of procedure of physical examination. I did so because we're at war and just want to be super-cautious," the president said Friday.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan underwent colon cancer surgery and transferred his authority to Vice President George Bush for several hours. That marked the first use of Section 3 of the 25th Amendment authorizing the voluntary transfer of authority.
President Bush said doctors recommended the colonoscopy because benign polyps have been found in previous medical examinations.
"It is the third such procedure I've had," Bush told reporters Friday. This is the first time Bush has undergone the procedure as president.
"I do recommend and urge that people get these precautionary tests," Bush said.
Polyps are benign tumors of the large intestine and are not normally cancerous. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. They can be easily removed during a colonoscopy and are not considered life-threatening. If polyps are not removed, however, they can become malignant over time.
A colonoscopy is a technique to examine the inside of the colon. It is performed by a gastroenterologist using a colonoscope -- a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny video camera and a light on the end. By adjusting various controls on the instrument, a specialist can guide it in any direction. A video image from the colonoscope's camera is displayed on a TV monitor.
Colonoscopy has become common because it is more precise than an X-ray and the procedure allows other instruments to be passed through the colonoscope.
The instruments can be used to remove suspicious-looking growths painlessly or to extract a biopsy -- a small piece of tissue for further analysis. Colonoscopy may help the patient avoid more intrusive surgery or determine what type of surgery may be needed.
During the procedure, the patient is given an anesthetic through an intravenous or IV line. The drug makes the patient relaxed and drowsy but not unconscious. Specialists said the anesthetic enables the patient to remain awake during the procedure, but much of the experience will be quickly forgotten.
(Roy Clark contributed to this story)
