Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a history of cardiac problems, visited GW Hospital this morning for his annual checkup. His press secretary told the Associated Press his heartbeat was normal and cardiac status was “stable.”

The 67-year-old has had four heart attacks, two artery-clearing angioplasties and quadruple bypass surgery. He has a defibrillator surgically implanted in his chest to regulate his heartbeat, which was replaced in July 2007.

Cheney last visited GW Hospital in November for an irregular heartbeat, determined to be atrial fibrillation. Doctors delivered an electrical shock to his heart to restore it to a normal rhythm.