WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush reassumed his executive branch powers on Saturday morning after briefly transferring his authority to Vice President Cheney as he underwent a medical examination requiring sedation.
Bush's scheduled colonoscopy was performed at Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. It was only the second time in history that a president has transferred his authority to his second in command.
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 on 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 transfer of authority.
Bush's White House physician, Dr. Richard Tubb, told reporters Friday the president would be given a short-acting medication that will keep him sedated "around two to four minutes."
The White House is expected to brief reporters on the outcome of the tests later in the day.
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," he said. This is the first time Bush has undergone the procedure as president.
"I do recommend and urge that people get these precautionary tests."
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 a 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.
