WASHINGTON (AFP) - Doctors confirmed on Friday (Oct 4) that US Senator Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack three days ago, as they announced that he had been released from hospital in Las Vegas.

Sanders, 78, said he felt "great", according to a statement from his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

"Senator Sanders was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction," his doctors said in the statement, using the medical term for heart attack.

"Two stents were placed in a blocked coronary artery in a timely fashion. All other arteries were normal."

"His hospital course was uneventful with good expected progress."

Sanders put his bid for the White House on hold after experiencing chest discomfort while on the stump in Las Vegas on Tuesday.