Sen. Bernie Sanders had a heart attack, his doctors said Friday as he was released from a Las Vegas hospital.
“After presenting to an outside facility with chest pain, Sen. Sanders was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction,” his doctors, Arturo Marchand Jr. and Arjun Gururaj, said in the statement released by his presidential campaign, using another term for heart attack.
Recommended Stories
The doctors said Sanders, 78, was stable upon arriving at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center on Tuesday and was immediately taken to surgery to receive two stents following the discovery of a blocked artery.
“After two and a half days in the hospital, I feel great, and after taking a short time off, I look forward to getting back to work,” Sanders said in a statement.
Sanders canceled his campaign events after the medical episode, though his campaign has said he plans to participate in the next Democratic debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Columbus, Ohio.
Patients who undergo the procedure Sanders had typically return to their normal activities within weeks, according to cardiologists.
Sanders has a history of high cholesterol, but this is the first time he has reported having issues with his heart. Americans who survive their first heart attack are at an increased risk for having another one, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center. About one in five people who suffer a heart attack will be readmitted to the hospital for another one within five years, the American Heart Association said.
The Vermont senator is the oldest presidential primary candidate vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination. If he makes it to the White House, he would be the oldest president ever to serve in office.
Sanders has been polling in the top tier of the primary race, trailing former vice president Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
In March, Sanders received stitches after hitting his head on a shower door.
