A vascular surgeon has cast doubt on Donald Trump's recent medical report, describing it as 'too good to be true' for a man approaching 80. The US president, who turns 80 on June 14, said last week that his six-month check-up at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center showed 'everything checked out PERFECTLY'.
The White House took longer than usual to publish the results, which were released in a memo on Friday. US Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, Trump's doctor, stated that the president 'remains in excellent health' with 'strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function'. However, several high-profile doctors have expressed scepticism and criticised omissions in the report.
Texas vascular surgeon William Shutze told The Wall Street Journal: 'That report is almost too good to be true for somebody of his age. This seems to be a filtered narrative.' The report noted 'slight lower leg swelling' and continued hand bruising, attributed to frequent handshaking and aspirin use. CNN medical analyst Dr Jonathan Reiner questioned the need for a repeat coronary artery CT scan, saying: 'We don’t typically scan patients 6 months later unless we are concerned about a finding on the initial scan.'
Doctors also noted the absence of a calcium score, plaque description, and CAD-RADS score in the report. Georgia vascular surgeon Dr Daniel Torrent described Trump's cholesterol levels as 'the best cholesterol numbers you’ll see'. White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the report, saying Trump has released more detailed health information than any previous president.
