Arnold Schwarzenegger undergoes heart surgery, says he's feeling 'fantastic'

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born with a condition known as the bicuspid aortic valve, in which the heart's main artery, the aorta, has only two cusps instead of three. If untreated, it can lead to blocked blood flow. In 1997, he underwent surgery for a replacement valve made of his own pulmonic valve, which itself was replaced with a donor's. The actor last underwent surgery in March 2018, when complications emerged during an experimental procedure to supplant the catheter valve in his heart. The actor’s spokesperson Daniel Ketchell released a statement at the time, explaining that the valve from 1997 was “never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy” which is why the actor chose to replace it. The valve was successfully replaced during surgery, leading to one perfect response by Schwarzenegger to show he was in good spirits: “I’m back.”

The 73-year-old “Terminator” actor and the former Republican governor of California revealed about his heart surgery through a tweet on Thursday. He also added a few pictures to his message. The tweet read, “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!”

He shared the same message on his Instagram too and received warm wishes and immense love from family, friends following the successful surgery. The actor recently became a first-time grandfather to his daughter Katherine and Chris Pratt, who welcomed their daughter, Lyla, in August.