Former US President Bill Clinton was released from a New York hospital on Friday after undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery earlier in the week, his office said.
Clinton was back at his home in suburban Chappaqua, New York, north of New York City, his office said in a statement. "The president is in good spirits and has taken short walks in the hospital hallway and in his home today."
The former president was seen leaving the hospital in a motorcade of black vehicles but did not speak with reporters who had staked out the hospital in recent days.
Clinton, his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, 24, issued a statement thanking hospital staff and those who sent more than 85,000 get-well messages through the Clinton Foundation Web site.
"We appreciate more than words can say all the good wishes and messages of concern that we received during this difficult time in our lives," the Clintons said.
"Your thoughts and prayers meant so much to us, and helped keep our spirits strong. We feel blessed to have such support, and it will continue to sustain us throughout the months of recuperation that remain ahead."
Clinton, 58, had the surgery on September 6 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where doctors said he would have risked a "substantial" heart attack without the operation because some of his arteries were 90 percent blocked.
Clinton, a Democrat who served eight years in the White House from 1993 until 2001 and was known for a love of fast food, was admitted to the hospital three days before his surgery after complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath.
Doctors said Clinton started becoming short of breath and suffering chest pain months ago after physical activity and that the situation deteriorated until he suffered those symptoms after resting.
Following the surgery, they said he should make a full recovery within two to three months. They said his heart was strong and undamaged and that his longevity should be unaffected if he were to adopt a low-salt, low-saturated-fat diet and exercise regularly.
Political observers have discussed what impact Clinton's illness might have on the presidential race. Clinton promised at the Democratic National Convention in July to be a "foot soldier" in presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign against Republican President George W. Bush.
Democrats argue that Clinton can still help their candidate, while Republicans have declared that Bush will benefit from an absent Clinton.
Still popular after a presidency dogged by sex scandals, Clinton has been active since leaving the White House, giving speeches and writing and promoting his memoir, "My Life."