Bernie Sanders suspends campaign due to artery blockage; Beto O’Rourke wishes him speedy recovery

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders experienced “chest discomfort” on Tuesday night and will suspend campaigning “until further notice” after doctors treated a blockage in an artery, senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement Wednesday morning.

“Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted,” Weaver said. “Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days. We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates.”

Sanders, who is 78 years old, felt the “discomfort” during a campaign event. Despite his age, he has been one of the most active campaigners in the 2020 Democratic primary field.

A campaign aide said that Sanders arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. local time. He then visited the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden to pay tribute on the second anniversary of the October 1, 2017, mass shooting there.

Two cardiologists familiar with the procedure Sanders underwent, but who have not treated him personally, said that the senator’s recovery should be swift.

“If a stent is chosen to treat his blocked artery, it’s good news in some ways because it must not be that much of a severe diffuse or multiple blockages that would require bypass surgery,” said Dr. Roxana Mehran, interventional cardiologist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

“Stents are basically a metal caging that keeps the artery open,” Mehran added. “Usually these are medicated stents. They’ve been around for over a decade with huge improvement and we’ve been able to keep patients out of trouble with the current technology that’s available with very little to no recurrence.”

Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Health in New York, also said she suspects Sanders could have a quick recovery.

“Years ago, most patients would stay overnight in the hospital, but there are some circumstances where people get in early enough to get their procedure and they can actually go home the same day,” Goldberg said.

“This is a catheter-based procedure. What’s most important for people to understand: We’re not opening up anyone’s chest,” she said. “We like people to get up and move the next day. I think we would tell people to take a few days off before they ratchet it up, because we just want the arteries to heal.”

A follow-up appointment is typically scheduled in seven to 10 days after the procedure, Goldberg said.

Minutes after the news of Sanders’ procedure became public, his campaign rivals responded with an outpouring of support.

“Wishing Bernie Sanders a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you and your family today—and I look forward to seeing you back out on the campaign trail soon,” Bet O’Rourke tweeted.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg also wished Sanders well in a similar message to O’Rourke’s.

Wishing @BernieSanders a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you and your family today—and I look forward to seeing you back out on the campaign trail soon. https://t.co/39ZC6Zhhbn

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) October 2, 2019

“All of us here at Pete For America are sending our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Senator Bernie Sanders,” Buttigieg tweeted. “We’re thinking of him and his family today, and I look forward to seeing him back on the campaign trail very soon.”

Sens. Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker also tweeted out their support, along with Andrew Yang and former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julin Castro.

And former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted, “.⁦‪.. sending our best wishes to ⁦‪Bernie Sanders‬⁩, Jane, and the whole Sanders family. Anyone who knows Bernie understands what a force he is. We are confident that he will have a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him on the trail soon.”