Nearly three months after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suffered a heart attack on the presidential campaign trail, his doctors say he has recovered well and is in good health.
"At this point, I see no reason he cannot continue campaigning without limitation and, should he be elected, I am confident he has the mental and physical stamina to fully undertake the rigors of the Presidency," wrote University of Vermont Medical Center cardiologist Martin LeWinter, who has treated the candidate.
Sanders' campaign released letters from LeWinter and two other doctors on Monday after promising for months to provide comprehensive medical information about the 78-year-old senator. The campaign was criticized for releasing limited information after he was hospitalized in Las Vegas on October 1 and for failing to disclose that he had suffered a heart attack for days.
LeWinter wrote that Sanders had made "an uneventful recovery" from his heart attack and that his heart function is "stable and well-preserved" and his blood pressure and heart rate is above average. "While he did suffer modest heart muscle damage, he has been doing very well since," LeWinter wrote.
In a separate letter, two other UVM Medical Center physicians wrote that Sanders had undergone cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance testing earlier this month at the Burlington hospital. They found that the senator was able to exercise at a level 50 percent higher than the average male of his age with a similar diagnosis — and at the same level as those with no such diagnosis.
"Mr. Sanders is more than fit enough to pursue vigorous activities and an occupation that requires stamina and an ability to handle a great deal of stress," wrote UVM Medical Center director of cardiac rehabilitation Philip Ades, who helped administer the test.
The campaign also provided a letter from the U.S. Congress' Office of the Attending Physician, which has treated Sanders for 29 years. In it, attending physician Brian Monahan wrote that he had conducted a physical examination of the senator earlier this month and found him to be in "normal" condition.
"You are in good health currently and you have been engaging vigorously in the rigors of your campaign, travel, and other scheduled activities without any limitation," he wrote.
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Bio:
Paul Heintz was part of the Seven Days news team from 2012 to 2020. He served as political editor and wrote the "Fair Game" political column before becoming a staff writer.