US News
Former US president Ford discharged from hospital
By DPA
Aug 29, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - Former US President Gerald Ford was released from hospital Monday after undergoing an angioplasty procedure and having a pacemaker implanted last week.

Ford, 93, was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, almost two weeks ago.

'The Fords ... wish to thank the American people for their prayers and countless messages of good wishes,' a statement from Ford's chief of staff said.

The pacemaker implanted in Ford's chest on Monday was to help regulate Ford's heartbeat, while the angioplasty procedure performed Thursday placed stents in two coronary arteries to increase the flow of blood.

Ford and his wife were heading back to their home in Rancho Mirage, California, the statement said.

The oldest ex-president in US history, Ford has been in poor health in recent years. He was hospitalized last month for breathing problems and suffered a pair of mild strokes about five years ago.

Ford became president in 1974 when Richard Nixon resigned over the so-called Watergate scandal, but lost a re-election bid to Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976.