Arnold Schwarzenegger Undergoes Heart Surgery
LOS ANGELES (CBS News) -- Actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger has undergone heart surgery, but contrary to some reports, it was a planned procedure, according to his production company's chief of staff, Daniel Ketchell. Earlier reports claimed that the former "Celebrity Apprentice" host had emergency open-heart surgery.
The 70-year-old is in stable condition, says Ketchell. In a statement on Twitter, Ketchell explains that Schwarzenegger had an pulmonic valve replaced at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on Thursday. The valve was originally replaced in 1997 due to a congenital heart defect.
"That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it yesterday through a less invasive catheter valve replacement," says Ketchell. Ketchell says that an open heart surgery team was on standby just in case the less-invasive catheter procedure was unsuccessful.
Schwarzenegger is currently recovering.
Schwarzenegger, a former Mr. Universe and bodybuilding star, had several broken ribs in 2001 after a motorcycle crash, and replaced a hip and had rotator cuff surgery in 2003.
He served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011 and has remained active in politics since then, feuding with President Donald Trump and calling for an overhaul of the GOP.
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