Arnold Schwarzenegger is recovering in a Los Angeles hospital after undergoing heart surgery.
The 70-year-old former California governor had a scheduled procedure to replace a pulmonic valve on Thursday, according to Schwarzenegger's spokesman, Daniel Ketchell. He was in stable condition on Friday.
"His first words were actually 'I'm back', so he is in good spirits," Ketchell tweeted.
The operation was necessary to replace a valve that had originally been installed in 1997 for a congenital heart defect.
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican centrist Ohio Governor John Kasich at the first New Way California Summit. Source: AAP
"That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy," Ketchell said. Schwarzenegger opted for a less-invasive catheter valve replacement procedure.
An open-heart surgery team was ready during the procedure but Ketchell said their presence wasn't unusual in such circumstances.
"They frequently are in these circumstances, in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed," Ketchell said. "Governor Schwarzenegger's pulmonic valve was successfully replaced."
Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilding star before turning to movies. His career as an action hero took off with the box-office hit Conan the Barbarian in 1982. His role in the Terminator in 1984 propelled him into box-office superstardom. He served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
In addition to his heart ailments, Schwarzenegger had a motorcycle crash in 2001 that left him with several broken ribs. He's had a hip replaced and had rotator cuff surgery in 2003.
Schwarzenegger is set to return to the Terminator franchise in the sixth film in the series, which is scheduled for release by Paramount on July 26, 2019.
