Russert’s Doctor Details Autopsy Results
Tim Russert’s personal physician spoke out for the first time since the NBC newsman’s untimely death on Friday.
Dr. Michael Newman issued a statement revealing Russert’s autopsy results, which showed that a heart attack took the life of the Meet the Press host.
“Russert, age 58, was known to have asymptomatic coronary artery disease, which resulted in hardening of his coronary arteries,” Newman said.
A fresh clot ruptured in Russert’s left anterior descending coronary artery, causing the fatal heart attack. The autopsy also revealed that NBC’s Washington bureau chief had an enlarged heart, he said.
Despite his previously diagnosed health problems, Russert managed his coronary artery disease with medication and daily exercise, said Newman, and even used a treadmill the morning he died. Russert also passed a stress test on April 29.
“At a high level of exercise he had no symptoms,” Newman said, adding that his blood pressure and cholesterol were “well controlled.”
Brokaw to Couric: Be careful!
That’s the advice the NBC newsman gave Katie Couric when she left The Today Show to take the anchor gig at The CBS Evening News in 2006.
He told her that going from a morning show like Today to a hard news anchor position was “a dive off the high board” and that it’s “harder than it looks.” Though I wonder if anyone gave that advice to Brokaw when he left Today to do The NBC Nightly News back in the 80s. Or maybe they didn’t because he’s a guy, right?
There have been strong rumors floating around the past couple of weeks that Couric and CBS have decided that she will leave her anchor position. Some say it might happen before the election, but my bet is that it will happen after. At first I thought it was just mere gossip that she might leave (that talk has been around since the day she sat down behind the desk at CBS), but if Bill Carter at The New York Times is reporting it too, then I’m leaning towards believing it.
P.S. I like Anderson Cooper, but if he were to really take over the CBS job, he’s going to have to slow down a bit so viewers can hear every word.