Bernie Sanders Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery, Campaign Put On Hold

Bernie Sanders has put his campaign on hold due to a medical issue that has sidelined him. Reports detail that after the 78-year-old candidate experienced some chest pains on Tuesday, he was checked out by doctors and subsequently underwent heart surgery. His quest to become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee will be suspended while he recovers.

NBC News details that Sanders underwent heart surgery to deal with a blocked artery. As a result of this medical situation, all of his campaign events have been canceled until further notice.

The Vermont Independent Senator was hospitalized in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Doctors found a blockage in an artery, and that led to the medical procedure being done right away.

Sanders’ campaign senior adviser Jeff Weaver explained that the candidate had two stents inserted after the artery blockage was discovered. Sanders is said to be in good spirits and talking with people, with plans to rest for a few days while he recovers.

According to ABC News, Sanders was originally slated to attend a presidential gun forum on Tuesday night. His anticipated attendance was canceled, and that was how outlets started to learn of his hospitalization.

His schedule for Wednesday would have had him making additional appearances in Nevada. One appearance would have had him hosting a town hall in Las Vegas to discuss social security and Medicare for All.

Defeating Trump is not enough.

We need leadership that will fight for working families and the shrinking middle class, not just the 1%.

That is exactly what I have done my whole life and what I am prepared to do as president. pic.twitter.com/0NZSKIhb5G

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 1, 2019

Then, Sanders would have appeared at the Presidential Gun Safety Forum put together by March for Our Lives and Giffords. The 2020 Gun Safety Forum will be moderated by MSNBC and will have nine other presidential hopefuls participating.

Sanders has consistently landed in the Top 3 in polling as the battle for the 2020 Democratic primary heats up. At 78, he is the oldest of the candidates, and he would become the oldest president elected if he were to win next year.

This is not the first Sanders medical situation to generate headlines during this second presidential campaign of his, although it is the most serious. In February, he was spotted campaigning with a bandage on his head, and this did not go unnoticed.

As The Inquisitr detailed at the time, Sanders incurred an injury as a result of an incident in his bathroom. He received more than half-a-dozen stitches, and he wore a large bandage over his left eye as he continued his campaigning.

At the time, Bernie’s team indicated that he had cut his head on the edge of his glass shower door. He took himself to a walk-in clinic and received seven stitches.

Sanders’ campaign confirmed details of this heart surgery and hospitalization on Wednesday morning.

The New York Times shares that Bernie’s campaign staff was alerted to the situation via a morning conference call. The outlet notes that one person on the call described Jeff Weaver’s tone as “measured” as he read the prepared statement.

“He feels better than ever because that’s how people feel after they get a stent and there’s more blood flow,” one of Sanders’ campaign aides told NYT.

Sanders has been keeping a full travel schedule in recent weeks, much as his fellow 2020 presidential hopefuls have done. He visited several colleges in New Hampshire last weekend, planned to hit both Nevada and California this week, and anticipated a visit to Iowa this weekend.

For now, Bernie Sanders’ heart surgery has forced the campaign to put all of that on hold. However, additional information on rescheduling appearances will likely emerge soon.