Schwarzenegger Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was experiencing complications following an emergency heart surgery this week. The 70-year-old ex-California governor was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Thursday for a "catheter valve replacement."

Schwarzenegger, went into the hospital for a previously planned procedure "to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced due to a congenital heart defect in 1997," according to spokesman Daniel Ketchell.

"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," Ketchell said on Twitter. "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 is in stable condition," Ketchell said. "We want to thank the entire medical team for their tireless efforts."

Ketchell released his statement following a TMZ story about the procedure.

The action star of blockbuster hits like "The Terminator" and "Total Recall" has most recently been in the news for criticizing President Donald Trump. Schwarzenegger served as governor from 2003 to 2011.

Photo: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 18: Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks to the media as he prepares to start the Run for the Kids charity run as part of the Arnold Sports Festival Australia at the Alexander Gardens on March 18, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)