by Alfons Luna
NEW YORK - Former US president Bill Clinton underwent surgery in a New York hospital Thursday to correct complications from a quadruple heart bypass operation six months ago.
Clinton`s office said the latest operation had been "successful".
"Former president Bill Clinton is out of surgery and resting comfortably," said a statement released by the office.
Clinton, 58, arrived at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital just before dawn to prepare for the surgery to remove the scar tissue and fluid from his chest, which had been causing discomfort in recent weeks.
Though the complication is unusual, Clinton and his physicians have said the operation is low risk.
He is expected to spend between three and 10 days in hospital after the two-hour operation.
Clinton was upbeat about the new hospital stay when he played a tsunami aid charity golf tournament, in driving rain, on Wednesday with former president George Bush.
"I`ll be fine tomorrow," he said.
"I`m way ahead this time. I get to play golf before I go to the hospital," he quipped.
Clinton, 58, underwent a four-hour quadruple bypass operation last September after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. The fast-food lover has since completely changed his eating habits and started intense exercise.
Clinton says he now walks up to 6.5 kilometers (four miles) a day near his home in Chappaqua, New York state.
After the heart bypass operation, he launched into campaigning for Democratic contender John Kerry in the November 2 presidential election.
And he has just returned from a tour of the tsunami-stricken regions of Asia with the elder Bush, the father of US President George W. Bush. The two former presidents are trying to raise money for victims of the December disaster.
Clinton said doctors found the fluid buildup during a regular checkup.
"All they have to do is drain it," said Clinton on Tuesday. "It`s no big deal. I`m not in too bad a shape."
Clinton said his doctors told him that he was healthy enough to be in the top five percent of people his age, and dismissed the operation as "a routine sort of deal."
"It`ll knock me out of commission for a week or two," Clinton said, but he added: "(As soon as) I get it done, I`m going to go back to work."

03/10/2005 19:17 GMT