I'm back... home: Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves hospital a week after emergency open-heart surgery
- The Terminator star went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on March 29 to have a scheduled catheter valve replacement
- Seven-time Mr Olympia winner developed complications, leading to open-heart surgery that reportedly lasted hours
- Actor's spokesman said he was home Friday recovering in great spirits
- When he woke up from surgery he shared 'It's true: I'm back!'
- Ex-California governor was last sighted leaving a Beverly Hills hotel after having lunch with his actor son Patrick
Arnold Schwarzenegger has lived up to his famous catchphrase, 'I'll be back'. The star is back home in Los Angeles after undergoing open heart surgery.
The 70-year-old 'Terminator' and 'Predator' star, and former governor of California, was at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, near Hollywood, to have a valve replaced on March 29 when doctors opted for the emergency procedure.
'Update: Schwarzenegger comes home,' his representative Daniel Ketchell posted on Twitter, later clarifying to AFP that Schwarzenegger had been released Friday afternoon and was 'recovering at home in fantastic spirits'.
Arnold Schwarzenegger came home from the hospital Friday after undergoing emergency open heart surgery on March 29
Arnold is said to be in fantastic spirits after he returned home from the hospital
His family had been seen frequently visiting him during his recovery (L-R) Christina Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver and Katherine Schwarzenegger
According to The Terminator star's representative, Daniel Ketchell, his first words after waking up from emergency open-heart surgery on March 30 were, 'I'm back,' and that he was awake and in good spirits last week.
TMZ, which broke the news, said the former governor of California went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on March 29 to have a scheduled catheter valve replacement.
The procedure is said to be risky, and the seven-time Mr Olympia winner developed complications, leading to an emergency open-heart surgery that reportedly lasted several hours.
'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' the former California governor tweeted after his surgery
Daniel Ketchell Arnold's rep, kept fans abreast of his recovery, tweeting on April 6 that he was heading home to continue to recover
Ketchell on Friday, a day after Arnold's surgery, shared that the former governor's first words were actually 'I'm back'
The former Mr Universe underwent non-urgent heart surgery in 1997 to have the valve put in, due to a condition he said was congenital and had nothing to do with steroids.
'That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it... through a less-invasive catheter valve replacement,' Ketchell said after the successful operation last week.
Schwarzenegger was tweeting during his stay at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, telling fans on Monday that 'It's true: I'm back!' - a play on his famous catchphrase 'I'll be back!'
He has used the line - or close variations - in numerous movies, including 'The Terminator,' 'Commando,' 'Raw Deal,' 'The Running Man,' 'Twins,' 'Total Recall,' 'Kindergarten Cop,' 'Last Action Hero,' 'Jingle All the Way,' 'The 6th Day' and 'The Expendables II.'
The Austrian-born former bodybuilder was voted in as governor of California in a historic 2003 recall vote - but proved the win was no fluke by routing opponent Phil Angelides to get re-elected.
'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,' Schwarzenegger tweeted from hospital.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, pictured on March 18, has undergone an emergency open-heart surgery after a failed valve replacement procedure
Latest sighting: Puffing on a cigar, Schwarzenegger and a friend are seen leaving the Waldorf Astoria Hotel after having lunch with his son Patrick Schwarzenegger in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, a day before his procedure
A statement released on Twitter by Schwarzenegger's spokesman addressing his health scare
The scheduled catheter valve replacement was carried out on Thursday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
As of late Friday afternoon, his condition following the operation was described as stable.
DailyMail.com reached out to Creative Artists Agency seeking comment from Schwarzenegger's publicist and was awaiting a reply.
The veteran action star traveled to Mexico in 1997 to undergo surgery to replace a pulmonary valve. According to the American Heart Association, the valve closes off the lower right chamber and opens to allow blood to be pumped from the heart to the lungs (through the pulmonary artery) where it will receive oxygen.
It was reported earlier that the procedure was to replace an aortic valve.
'I've never felt sick or had any symptoms at all, but I knew I'd have to take care of this condition sooner or later,' Schwarzenegger said in a statement after the operation, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'I said to the doctors, 'Let's do it now, while I'm young and healthy.' They agreed this was the way to go.'
Pulmonary valve replacement is a procedure in which a patient's leaky, or partially blocked, pulmonary valve is replaced with an artificial heart valve.
The actor's spokesperson said at the time that he had a congenital heart defect that had nothing to do with steroids, which Schwarzenegger had admitted to using during his time as a world-class bodybuilder.
On Friday, Schwarzenegger's representative released a statement saying the replacement valve from 1997 was never meant to be permanent and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it on Thursday through the less invasive catheter valve procedure.
A team of surgeons at Cedars-Sinai were on standby in case an open-heart surgery had to be performed, which ended up being the case.
Daniel Ketchell, the actor's spokesman, said that the valve was successfully replaced during the open-heart surgery.
Schwarzenegger presents Byoung Chan of Korea with the winners trophy for the Arnold Amateur Bodybuilding event, during the Arnold Sports Festival Australia at The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 18
Young and buff: Schwarzenegger poses during the 38th Cannes film festival (left), where he presented the documentary Pumping Iron. Pictured right: Schwarzenegger poses for a portrait on Venice Beach in August 1977
He'll be back: Schwarzenegger became a household name after he appeared in James Cameron's futuristic blockbuster The Terminator in 1984
Schwarzenegger's latest sighting was in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, when he was spotted puffing on a cigar in a friend's car while leaving the Waldorf Astoria Hotel after having lunch with his son Patrick in Beverly Hills.
The outspoken actor and politician appeared on CNN last weekend to talk about the future of the Republican Party in the age of Donald Trump, saying that the GOP is 'dying at the box office.'
The previous Sunday, the Austrian-born Predator star made an appearance at an amateur bodybuilding competition as part of the 2018 The Arnold Sports Festival in Melbourne, Australia.
A day before Schwarzenegger's procedure, his ex-wife Mariah Shriver took to Instagram to promote the documentary The Heart of Nuba, which focuses on the work of Dr Tom Catena, a Catholic missionary
Father-son quality time: Schwarzenegger is often photographed with his actor son Patrick. In January, the pair donned lederhosen during a visit to Austria (left). In an Instagram post on July 30, 2017, Patrick wished his famous dad happy 70th birthday (right)
Twinning: Arnold and Patrick Schwarzenegger are pictured during the GQ Men of the year Award 2017 at Komische Oper on November 9, 2017 in Berlin
Schwarzenegger appeared buff and well-tanned, and happily posed with fans for pictures.
In a recent interview he gave in Australia, Schwarzenegger said his age is just a number to him.
'I don't even think that I'm 70, I know I'm 70, but so what?' he told The Project. 'It's only on my passport or my driver's licence, but I feel the same way as I did 20 years ago.'
'I feel good about myself. I work out. I make my movies. Life is great. I feel useful and productive,' he added.
According to Schwarzenegger's IMDB page, the Hollywood heavyweight has a half-dozen film and TV projects in the works, including the action flick Viy 2: Journey to China co-starring Jackie Chan and an untitled Terminator reboot.
The divorced Conan the Barbarian alum has five children, including his son Patrick, who has followed his father's footsteps into acting and is currently starring in the new drama Midnight Sun opposite Bella Thorne.
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