LEO Bokeria doesn't usually refer to President Yeltsin by name. He generally uses the circumlocution: "The patient we all know".

Chief surgeon at Moscow's busiest clinic, Mr Bokeria a 57 year old Georgian with darting eyes, a beaming eyes and the stage presence of a great actor.

"The patient we all know" has, he told me, "an excellent chance of success". Mr Bokeria will not participate in Mr Yeltsin's operation, he will be too busy at the Bakulev clinic in Moscow where he and his team perform up to 2,000 by passes per year free of charge for ordinary Russians. But he is a "man in the know" as far as the "patient we all know" is concerned.

A picture of himself with the US surgeon Michael de Bakey, who will be a consultant for Mr Yeltsin's operation, hangs prominently behind Bokeria's desk.

America's leading heart surgeon is invariably described by Bokeria simply as "Michael" in the way someone in the entertainment business wishing to show that his connections are impeccable might refer to Sinatra simply as "Frank".

The crucial indicator concerning Mr Yeltsin's readiness for surgery is the "ejection factor", the amount of blood the heart is capable of pumping. At one time, little over a month ago, Mr Yeltsin's heart was pumping at a rate of 20 per cent. "Michael says it has improved to 35 per cent, which is very good. If it reaches 40, then there will be no difficulties," Bokeria said.

"The president's underlying condition is good. It is good for shunting, his renal function is good and his other organs are in good shape.

The president should, he said, be able to make decisions quite soon after this operation. Even if his physical strength is weakened his mental ability should in no way be impaired.

Then it was a quick farewell and back to the surgery - where he works from 7.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. four days a week - to perform a triple bypass operation, the one I was allowed to attend.