Everything to Know About Arnold Schwarzenegger's Health Issues in 6 Clicks

In 1997, Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent elective heart surgery to replace a pulmonic valve.

"Choosing to undergo open-heart surgery when I never felt sick was the hardest decision I've ever made," The Terminator star said at the time. "I can now look forward to a long, healthy life with my family."

Meanwhile, Dr. Vaughn Starnes — who led the operation — assured the public that Schwarzenegger's heart was "strong and healthy."

"He will resume his full, active lifestyle with no limitations, restrictions or medications at all," Starnes shared. "I want to reassure his fans that he is stronger than ever and he'll be back at work this summer."

On average, the replacements can last for around 12 to 15 years.

Schwarzenegger's spokesman Daniel Ketchell released a statement on X confirming he would need to have another operation to replace the same valve.

"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.

TMZ first reported that the procedure was an "emergency open-heart surgery," but Ketchell clarified it was only a precaution.

The representative added, "They frequently are in these circumstances, in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed. Governor Schwarzenegger's pulmonic valve was successfully replaced."

Schwarzenegger served as California governor from 2003 to 2011.

Schwarzenegger was supposed to have a non-invasive surgery in 2020 as his doctors only needed to replace one of his bicuspid valves after previously attempting to replace both.

However, due to a "little screwup" at the hospital, only one was replaced during the previous open-heart procedure.

"The bottom line is, you cannot roll the clock back. It was a disaster. I was in the middle of a disaster. So now how do I get out of it? You have to shift gears," he said in a YouTube video. "Collect yourself, shift gears and say, 'OK what I need to do now is get out of this hospital.'"

After undergoing three heart surgeries, Schwarzenegger had to stop going to the gym due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He only resumed his workout sessions in June 2020 at the Gold's Gym in Venice, Calif.

The Pumping Iron star had constantly spoken about his COVID-19 concerns, telling The Atlantic, "I think that there's also some people that, you know, they even see a crisis like this through a political lens. That's what holds us back. I mean, for anyone to say, 'This is not dangerous, it's just another virus, and other viruses kill much more people than this virus does' and all this stuff — this is nonsense dialogue. It doesn't help anybody."

In a newsletter in March, the Junior star updated his fans regarding the pacemaker he got following his three heart surgeries. He reportedly underwent a procedure at Cleveland Clinic.

"With all of those surgeries, my doctors told me it was more important than ever to stay on top of the situation, and I checked in all of the time, sharing heart rate information from home. We knew the heartbeat was irregular, and my fantastic team watched it like a hawk," Schwarzenegger wrote. "They told me they would let me know when it was time for a pacemaker."

He disclosed his mother and grandmother died from bicuspid valves, so he decided to be in touch with his doctors as much as possible.

A few days after confirming the surgery to implant a pacemaker, Schwarzenegger declared he would be ready to film the next season of Fubar. The shooting will reportedly start in April.

"Thank you! I've gotten so many kind messages from all over the world, but a lot of people have asked if my pacemaker will cause any problems with FUBAR Season 2," he wrote on X. "Absolutely not."