"The pressure was too enormous and my body was too big" - When Arnold Schwarzenegger opened up about his 'life-threatening' heart surgery
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. Arnold has four Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles. He achieved these victories through sheer hard work and determination. Apart from bodybuilding, he excelled in acting and politics as well.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has had heart problems in his life. So far, he has undergone three surgeries for heart-related issues. In 2016, Graham Bensinger interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger for his show, In Depth with Graham Bensinger. During the interaction, Graham spoke to Arnold about his life-threatening heart surgery.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the experience of his heart surgery
Arnold Schwarzenegger explained that he went for valve replacement surgery immediately after filming Batman & Robin in 1997. Graham asked Arnold about the risks involved in the surgery and what the doctors told him at 3 in the morning after the surgery.
The Terminator star clarified that since he underwent the "Ross Procedure", the doctors made it clear to him that the surgery had a 60 percent success rate and a 40 percent chance of failure.
The Governator said:
"Because I got the Ross Procedure, which is where they take one of your own valves and put it in the aortic position. So the pulmonary valve is really normally not strong enough to take the aortic position and that blood pressure. So it was clear at that point that there was 60 percent that it works and a 40 percent that it won't work. So what happened was the pressure was too enormous and my body was too big and too strong."
The surgery was ultimately a failure, which resulted in choking and coughing. There was fluid going into his lungs. The doctors then informed him that the same surgery would be repeated two hours later. Arnold Schwarzenegger described the situation as dangerous because he had to undergo two surgeries within 24 hours.
Arnold was told there was a six percent chance of failure during the first surgery. However, before the second surgery, the chances of failure had doubled. The legendary bodybuilder said everything came to a point where he couldn't care much about the situation.
Graham asked Arnold whether he felt at the time that there was a chance it could result in his death.
The Conan star replied,
"Yeah absolutely. It was a disastrous situation to be in nevertheless."
Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was able to see that the preparations were much more serious before the second surgery than they were for the first one. Thankfully, the second surgery was a success.
Earlier during the interview, the GOAT bodybuilder talked about his mother's heart condition. He had taken his mother to UCLA in the late 1970s where it was learned that his mother had a valve problem.
Two of her valves weren't functioning well and it was made clear that she may require a valve replacement in the near future. Aurelia (his mother) was asked whether her family had a history of the same heart condition. Aurelia confirmed that her mother had a valve problem and that she died at the age of 67.
The doctors informed Arnold that the valve condition was being passed down through the generations. They warned him to be more cautious and get his heart checked regularly because he could be at risk as well.
Since this interview with Graham, Arnold Schwarzenegger has had two more heart surgeries in 2018 and 2020. Despite all these setbacks, he's still going strong. He may not be the same Austrian Oak, but his determination burns as bright as ever.