Ex-Argentine President Nestor Kirchner Has Operation for Blocked Artery

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner had an arterial stent implanted after a medical exam yesterday found one of his coronary arteries was blocked, the government said in a statement.

“The intervention was successful and the patient remains hospitalized as part of his recovery,” a statement today by presidential doctors Luis Buonomo and Marcelo Ballesteros said.

Kirchner, 60, husband of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has suffered two other major health problems since he took office as the head of South America’s second-biggest economy in 2003. In February, he had surgery to clear blockage in his carotid artery, and in 2004 he was hospitalized for intestinal problems.

Kirchner, a father of two and former lawyer, is currently a congressman representing Buenos Aires province and the head of the Union of South American Nations, known as Unasur.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Faries in Buenos Aires at wfaries@bloomberg.net