Sanders, 78, abruptly canceled all campaign events on Tuesday after suffering chest pains. He underwent surgery to treat a blocked artery, having two stents inserted to prop open the artery. His campaign confirmed the information on Friday after Sanders departed Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Sanders' treating physicians - Arturo Marchand Jr, MD and Arjun Gururaj, MD - confirmed that the senator was diagnosed with a "myocardial infarction" and had two stents placed in a blocked coronary artery, noting that "all other arteries were normal." They added that the Democratic hopeful had been instructed to follow up with his personal physician.
"I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center for the excellent care that they provided," Sanders said in a statement Friday. "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, 78, abruptly cancelled all campaign events on Tuesday after suffering chest pain, yet he was back on track as soon as Friday. However, the statement of his doctors suggesting he had a heart attack could raise new questions about Sanders' age and health as he seeks his party's nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Sanders is the oldest of all 2020 presidential candidates. He is followed by Joe Biden, 76, Republican hopeful Bill Weld, 74, President Donald Trump, 74, and Elizabeth Warren, 70.
