Soviet Filmmaker Fair After Emergency Surgery

A visiting Soviet filmmaker was in fair condition Wednesday after emergency heart surgery, a hospital spokesman said. Iraqli Kvirikadze underwent quadruple-bypass surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after feeling weakness and arm pain while attending the American-Soviet Screenwriters Festival.

Kvirikadze, 51, underwent surgery on Friday. The hospital refused to perform the surgery without a $60,000 guarantee to cover medical costs, said Cheryl Rhoden, spokeswoman for the Writers Guild of America. The Writers Guild Foundation faxed the guarantee to the hospital on Friday afternoon and the surgery was performed shortly thereafter, Rhoden said.

Hospital spokesman Ron Wise on Wednesday denied that the hospital demanded the guarantee before performing surgery and said the guarantee was received on Monday, three days after the surgery was performed.