Arnold Schwarzenegger Undergoes Complicated Open-Heart Surgery!

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is known for his iconic quote ‘I’ll be back’ from Terminator, certainly lived up to the catchphrase after successfully undergoing an open-heart surgery on March 29 and finally returning to his Los Angeles home healthy as a horse.

Actor has a Risky Surgery

The former Governor of California and the Predator star had reportedly checked into the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center close to Hollywood on March 29 for a valve replacement surgery but developing complications, the doctors made the decision to perform an emergency open-heart operation. On Friday, Schwarzenegger’s representative broke the good news on Twitter that the Hollywood heartthrob had been discharged from the hospital and was already recovering in his Beverley Hills home. According to the tweet, the first words uttered by the Terminator star after waking up from the surgery were, ‘I’m back’.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous for his role in Terminator, recently returned home after recovering from an open-heart surgery

The news was first reported by TMZ on March 29 explaining that Schwarzenegger had been taken to the hospital for a catheter valve replacement surgery that he had scheduled earlier. Sources from Schwarzenegger’s medical team said that the former Mr. Olympia winner had developed serious complications during the risky valve replacement procedure, after which the doctors made the decision to perform an emergency open-heart surgery on the 70-year-old which lasted for many hours.

His Second One

Schwarzenegger had first undergone a heart surgery in the late 90’s to have a valve inserted into his heart. The procedure was neither risky nor urgent, although the former Mr. Universe explained that the decision to undergo the medical procedure back in the day was influenced by a congenital condition and didn’t have anything to do with steroids.

Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson explained in the tweet that 1997’s valve replacement surgery wasn’t meant to be permanent since the valve inserted in Schwarzenegger’s had a life expectancy which has expired a while ago. Last week, the Terminator star finally decided to replace it through a minimally invasive surgery, but he did not anticipate the complications that would ensue after the procedure leading to a major open-heart surgery. After returning home, the 70-year-old man of steel was merrily tweeting away at his fans saying that he is back and planning to stick around for a while.

Actor Suffered from Congenital Heart Defect

Schwarzenegger, who is famous of his catchphrase ‘I’ll be back’ used in most of his blockbuster films including Commando, The Running Man, Last Action Hero, and The Terminator, is a former bodybuilder from Austria who was voted as the Governor of California in 2003. The superstar said that he was put to sleep in the hospital with the doctor’s assurance that the procedure would be minimally invasive but instead of waking up to a small incision on his chest, he noticed a rather large one which shocked him. But the Austrian-born actor said that he is thankful that he woke up, and in the end, that is all that matters.

70-year-old used his iconic catchphrase ‘I’m back’ to announce his recovery on Twitter

In 1997, Schwarzenegger had gone to a hospital in Mexico to get the valve replacement surgery. The purpose of the valve, according American Heart Association, is to close off the right chamber of the heart completely and force the heart to pump blood directly to and from the lungs for oxygenation. According to an interview with Los Angeles Times, The Terminator star decided to get the surgery in 1997 while he was still young and healthy in order to minimize the risk of complications. Although his condition was not at a critical stage back then, he wanted to get over with the procedure as soon as possible.

The actor’s representative said that he suffered from a condition which blocked most of his pulmonary valve, putting extra pressure on his heart to pump out the blood. Schwarzenegger explained that even though he had used steroids during his bodybuilding career, they were not the reason behind his congenital heart defect.

When the actor finally decided to replace the valve on Thursday, a team of doctors was already put on standby in case there was a need for an emergency open-heart procedure – which eventually ended up being the case. By the end of the surgery, the doctors had successfully replaced the valve as well as saving the 70-year-old’s life.