NEW YORK — Former President Clinton underwent successful quadruple coronary bypass surgery Monday and should be able to resume a full range of normal activities -- including some political campaigning -- within two months, his doctors said.
"He is recovering normally. He had a relatively routine operation, and everything looks straightforward," said Dr. Craig Smith, the heart surgeon who led a 15-member medical team in the procedure at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Smith, who appeared at a news conference following the operation, said Clinton, 58, would spend the night in intensive care, transfer to a regular hospital room in the next several days and then go home for a recovery period of several months.
He said the former president should be able to live a full and active life.
Clinton's wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, issued a statement after the operation thanking "the incredible medical staff at the hospital for taking such good care of my husband." She also thanked the more than 37,000 people who had sent e-mails and other messages since he checked into the hospital Friday.
"As many families know, open-heart surgery, though increasingly common, is a very serious procedure," she said in a note written with her daughter, Chelsea, 24. "These past few days have been quite an emotional roller coaster for us."
Although doctors said Clinton's operation was routine, he was lucky to have been diagnosed with heart problems as quickly as he was, said Dr. Allan Schwartz, the hospital's chief of cardiology, who was present for the operation.
Without prompt diagnosis and medical care, Schwartz said, "there is a likelihood he would have had a substantial heart attack in the near future."
The physicians said Clinton, who otherwise was in good physical shape, had been complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath during workouts in recent months. He initially chalked it up to sporadic interruptions in his exercise regimen because of an extended national book tour, as well as recurring bouts of acid reflux.
But the former president sought medical help late last week when he experienced the symptoms for 15 to 20 minutes while at rest, Schwartz said.
Clinton went to a Westchester County hospital near his home in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Thursday evening, and an angiogram the next morning revealed significant blockage in the major blood vessels leading to his heart.
