FILE - In this July 20, 2016 file photo, U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy visits homes to talk to voters in Las Vegas. A spokesman says Hardy of Nevada is recovering after suffering a heart attack. Larry Farnsworth says the Republican underwent a routine medical procedure after the Monday night, Aug. 29, incident and remains hospitalized. (AP Photo/Michelle Rindels, File)
U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy says doctors repaired a collapsed artery in his heart before it worsened to the point where it could have been fatal.
Hardy appeared healthy at a roundtable discussion Tuesday in Las Vegas and said he felt better than he did before the episode, which happened Sunday.
He received the endorsement of the US Chamber of Commerce at the discussion.
Hardy told reporters afterward that he had drinking a liquid in preparation for a colonoscopy on Sunday when he started feeling symptoms of a minor heart attack. He sought treatment in Mesquite, and then in St. George, Utah.
He said he’ll be taking blood thinners for a year after having the stints put in, but he doesn’t expect it to affect his political work. The 59-year-old Hardy is running for re-election in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, which leans Democratic and includes North Las Vegas and rural central Nevada.
His wife, Peri, said she was grateful they caught the problem in time.
He was released from the hospital early Tuesday.