Arnold Schwarzenegger Says He Feels 'Fantastic' After Undergoing Another Heart Surgery

Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed he's just undergone another heart surgery, having tweeted to say he feels 'fantastic'.

The star took to social media to update fans, explaining he'd had to have his aortic valve replaced to go alongside the new pulmonary valve he had inserted during his last surgery back in April 2018.

In one of the photos, Arnie can be seen lying in a hospital bed giving a thumbs up to the camera, while other snaps show him 'walking the streets of Cleveland' after the procedure in Ohio.

Schwarzenegger, 73, tweeted: "Thanks to the team at the Cleveland Clinic, I have a new aortic valve to go along with my new pulmonary valve from my last surgery.

"I feel fantastic and have already been walking the streets of Cleveland enjoying your amazing statues. Thank you to every doc and nurse on my team!"

Schwarzenegger was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, which means his valve only has two leaflets compared to the normal three.

In 1997, the same year Batman & Robin was released, he had to have a procedure that replaced an aortic valve, which was made from his own transplanted tissue.

He underwent another surgery two years ago, when he had a replacement pulmonary valve successfully fitted - that time at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

Daniel Ketchell, a representative for the actor, said in a statement at the time that the surgery was 'a planned procedure at Cedars-Sinai to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced due to a congenital heart defect in 1997'.

PA

Ketchell said: "That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it yesterday through a less-invasive catheter valve replacement.

"During that procedure, an open-heart surgery team was prepared, as they frequently are in these circumstances, in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed.

"Governor Schwarzenegger's pulmonic valve was successfully replaced and he is currently recovering from the surgery and in a stable condition. We want to thank the entire medical team for their tireless efforts."

Schwarzenegger also made a quip on Twitter to say 'I'm back!', adding: "I went to sleep expecting to wake up with a small incision and woke up with a big one - but guess what? I woke up, and that's something to be thankful for. Thank you to the doctors and nurses. And I'm truly filled with gratitude for all of the kind messages."

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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