HEART-BERN
Bernie Sanders suffers heart attack on US presidential campaign trail forcing far-Left Democrat to undergo emergency surgery
DEMOCRAT presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack this week, his campaign confirmed on Friday.
The far-Left firebrand, 78, was forced to cancel all campaign events after taking ill in Nevada on Tuesday - putting his 2020 bid for the White House in jeopardy.
In a statement, the Vermont senator said: "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."
Doctors at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas said Sanders was stable when he arrived Tuesday.
But he quickly underwent emergency surgery to fit two stents in a blocked artery in his heart.
'GOOD PROGRESS'
Doctors Arturo Marchand Jr and Arjun Gururaj said the rest of his stay before being discharged on Friday was "uneventful with good expected progress."
Sanders - the oldest candidate in the Democratic 2020 field - is expected to go back to Vermont to recuperate further.
As news of his health scare broke this week, a statement from his Bernie Sanders' campaign team said he was "conversing and in good spirits".
The veteran left-winger tweeted from his hospital bed on Tuesday evening as he recovered from his operation.
He said: "Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm feeling good.
"I'm fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover.
"None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us.
"And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!"
'NO HISTORY' OF DISEASE
In a letter made public during the 2016 campaign, Sanders' doctor said he was in "overall good health" and had no history of cardiovascular disease.
The insertion of stents to open blocked heart arteries is a relatively common procedure.
It involves inserting a balloon-tipped catheter to open blockage and deploy tiny wire-mesh tubes to prop open the artery.
But Sanders’ heart episode comes as his campaign has been trying to turn a corner after a difficult summer.
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Recent weeks have seen him eclipsed as the premier liberal in the Democratic field by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, 70.
Sanders has dropped well behind Warren and frontrunner Joe Biden in most polls.
He recently reshuffled his staffing in early states in an attempt to become more competitive.
Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential bid in jeopardy as 79-year-old Democrat undergoes emergency heart surgery
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