Sen.Bernie Sandersis “in good spirits” but will pause campaigning while he recovers from a blocked artery discovered after he had chest pains on Tuesday night, PEOPLE confirms.
In a brief statement to reporters on Wednesday morning, a senior adviser said that the 78-year-old Sanders, one of the leading contenders to challenge PresidentDonald Trumpnext year, had two stents inserted after doctors discovered the blockage.
Weaver continued: “Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days.”
Sanders remained hospitalized in Las Vegas on Wednesday,The New York Timesreported.
Paras Griffin/WireImage
He will not be doing campaign appearances or events “until further notice,” Weaver said in his statement.
The longtime Vermont lawmaker, who ran for president in 2016, remains in the upper tier of Democratic candidates for 2020, alongside Sen.Elizabeth Warrenand former Vice PresidentJoe Biden.
The top 12 candidates will meet again for a debate on Oct. 15 in Ohio.
What to Know About Blocked Arteries & Stents
“We don’t know if he did or not have a heart attack, but the assumption is that he didn’t based upon they didn’t report that yet,” says Dr. Kirtane, who is not involved with Sanders’ care. “It sounds like in this case that this may have been a partial blockage but severe enough to cause him to have new chest pain, which is why this was treated in the way it was treated.”
Stentshold an artery openand allow for normal blood flow again. Arteries typically become blocked due to a buildup of plaque, Kirtane adds, with someone in Sanders’ age bracket more at risk of heart disease.
“I think the key message for people out there is if you’re having chest pain that’s new, it’s really important to seek medical attention immediately,” he says.
Kirtane says it’s difficult to know the Senator’s probable prognosis. “But assuming he didn’t have a heart attack, then it’s a recovery of days to a couple of weeks,” he says. “And typically after a stent procedure, we tell patients they’re back to full level of activity at two weeks.”
Was there anything Sanders could have done to prevent this? “For every patient, it’s about eating right, not smoking, exercising as much as one can and then making sure that cholesterol is controlled, blood pressure’s controlled, diabetes is well controlled,” Kirtane says.
source: people.com
