Washington, Oct 5
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders underwent emergency surgery after suffering a heart attack, his campaign has confirmed.

The Vermont Senator, 78, was taken to hospital on Tuesday after complaining of chest pain at a campaign event in Nevada, the BBC quoted campaign officials as saying on Friday.

Doctors, Arturo Marchand and Arjun Gururaj, operated on Sanders, to remove a blockage in one of his arteries.

They said that "two stents -- small mesh tubes used to help keep arteries open -- were placed in a blocked coronary artery in a timely fashion".

Marchand and Gururaj added said Sanders's other arteries were "normal".

On Friday, Sanders was well enough to be discharged from Desert Springs Hospital Medical Centre in Las Vegas, the doctors said.

The two doctors said that, while Sanders has made "good progress", he has been advised "to follow up with his personal physician".

In a statement on Twitter, Sanders said: "After taking a short time off, I look forward to getting back to work."

Later on Friday, the Senator said that he was "feeling so much better" in a video filmed outside hospital.

With the Democratic presidential contest in full swing, Sanders has vowed to take part in the next live televised Democratic National Committee debate, on October 15, reports the BBC.

He is the oldest candidate in the field, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden (76).

If Sanders were to win the US presidency, he would become the oldest person to hold the office.

When the election takes place on November 3, 2020, Sanders will be 79.

Bernie Sanders underwent surgery following heart attack