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Bush returns home after heart procedure

Posted at 11:58 AM, Aug 07, 2013
and last updated 2013-08-07 11:58:01-04

(CNN) — Former President George W. Bush is home Wednesday a day after having a stent placed in his heart to alleviate a blockage in an artery, according to his spokesman Freddy Ford.

The procedure was “performed successfully,” without complication, at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas Tuesday morning, Bush’s office announced in a statement shortly afterwards.

President Bush is in high spirits, eager to return home tomorrow and resume his normal schedule on Thursday. He is grateful to the skilled medical professionals who have cared for him,” the statement read.

The blockage was found during Bush’s annual physical examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas on Monday.

“He thanks his family, friends, and fellow citizens for their prayers and well wishes. And he encourages us all to get our regular check-ups,” the statement continued.

The 43rd president was known for having relatively good health during his tenure at the White House. For exercise, he was an active runner and frequently rode his mountain bike.

Former President Bill Clinton, who has had heart issues in the past, reached out to Bush upon learning that he had the stent procedure. Clinton is traveling in Africa with his daughter Chelsea, and advisers to both presidents said they were working on connecting the two men.

Clinton had two stents placed in his heart in 2010 after images revealed that a bypass graft — part of a quadruple bypass surgery that Clinton underwent in 2004 — was blocked.