Arnold Schwarzenegger in stable condition after heart surgery

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in stable condition Friday after undergoing emergency open-heart surgery during a procedure to replace a valve in his heart, according to his spokesman.

Schwarzenegger, 70, went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Thursday for a planned procedure to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally installed in 1997 due to a congenital heart defect, Schwarzenegger’s spokesman Daniel Ketchell said in a statement.

Schwarzenegger opted for a less-invasive catheter valve replacement but during that procedure an open-heart surgery team stepped in to replace the valve due to complications.

His pulmonic valve was successfully replaced after open-heart surgery and he is currently recovering from the surgery and is in stable condition, Ketchell said in a statement.

“We want to thank the entire medical team for their tireless efforts,� Ketchell said in a statement.

Ketchell tweeted that Schwarzenegger woke up Friday morning and his first words were: “I’m back� — a reference to the actor’s famous catchphrase “I’ll be back.�

Schwarzenegger interrupted his career as an action movie star to serve as governor from 2003 to 2011.

Schwarzenegger has kept an active political life since leaving office. Last week he appeared with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former California Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes in Boyle Heights to promote a centrist GOP advocacy group called New Way California.

UPDATES:

11:35 a.m.: This article was updated with more comments from Schwarzenegger spokesman Daniel Ketchell.

10:50 a.m. This article was updated with new informaton from Schwarzenegger spokesman Daniel Ketchell.

This article was originally posted at 10:15 a.m.