Bernie Sanders' health incident diagnosed as heart attack originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The health issue that led to Sen. Bernie Sanders' hospitalization on Tuesday night in Las Vegas has been diagnosed as a heart attack.

Sanders, 78, said in a statement released on Friday that he "felt great" and was looking forward to resuming his campaign.

(MORE: Bernie Sanders hospitalized for blocked artery, campaign events canceled)

"I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center for the excellent care that they provided," Sanders said in the statement. "After two and a half days in the hospital, I feel great, and after taking a short time off, I look forward to getting back to work."

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally in support of Chicago Public School teachers in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 24, 2019. (Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/REX via Shutterstock) More

A joint statement from the physicians who treated Sanders, Arturo E. Marchand Jr. and Arjun Gururaj, said Sanders suffered from a myocardial infarction and was transferred to Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center.

"The Senator was stable upon arrival and taken immediately to the cardiac catheterization laboratory, at which time two stents were placed in a blocked coronary artery in a timely fashion. All other arteries were normal," they said. "His hospital course was uneventful with good expected progress. He was discharged with instructions to follow up with his personal physician."

The Democratic president candidate on Tuesday "experienced some chest discomfort," Sanders' senior adviser, Jeff Weaver, said in a statement on Wednesday.

A tweet later that day from Sanders plugged his health care plan.

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

Sanders left Desert Springs Hospital on Friday, walking out on his own.

The senator waved to reporters and said he felt "great, great, thank you" before climbing into an awaiting SUV.