Bernie Sanders Is Hospitalized, Raising Questions About His Candidacy

The Vermont senator had two stents inserted in an artery after experiencing chest discomfort at an event. His campaign canceled his events and said he would be resting for several days.

Senator Bernie Sanders was recovering in a Las Vegas hospital on Wednesday after being treated for blockage of an artery, forcing him to cancel his events in the coming days and casting uncertainty over a candidacy already struggling to win new voters.

Mr. Sanders, 78, experienced “some chest discomfort” at an event Tuesday night, said Jeff Weaver, a longtime adviser; a medical evaluation found blockage in one artery, and two stents were inserted.

Mr. Sanders’s hospitalization is likely to intensify the focus on age in the Democratic race, even as much of the public debate has centered on policies like health care and immigration. The three leading Democratic candidates, as well as the president they are vying to challenge, are all in their 70s. One of those Democrats, Joseph R. Biden Jr., 76, has drawn his own age-related scrutiny because of his sometimes rambling discourses and uneven answers in debates.

Campaign aides did not provide any further information about Mr. Sanders’s condition and they have not said whether he had suffered a heart attack or whether he was just experiencing chest pain.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Sanders posted a tweet thanking his well wishers and using the incident as an opportunity to plug his signature policy proposal, “Medicare for all.”

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!

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 2, 2019

Inserting stents into arteries is common in the United States — there are at least 600,000 such procedures a year, and perhaps up to one million. It is usually uncomplicated, and patients return home within a day or two.

“The prognosis is very good,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Heart and Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. “Most patients are home the next day and back to work very quickly.” He said he did not see it as an impediment to returning to the campaign trail.

Still, it is unclear when Mr. Sanders will return to the campaign trail or whether he will be able to participate in the next Democratic debate, on Oct. 15 in Columbus, Ohio.