Arnold Schwarzenegger Had a Pacemaker Installed
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On the March 25 episode of his podcast, Arnold’s Pump Club, the Terminator actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to get a pacemaker installed.
“Last Monday, I had surgery to become a little bit more of a machine: I got a pacemaker,” said the True Lies actor. Although sharing health issues goes against his upbringing in Austria, “where nobody — ever — talked about medical issues,” Schwarzenegger decided to be transparent with his audience.
The 76-year-old shared a picture on Instagram of himself wearing the device with a message of gratitude for all the kind messages from around the world. He also reassured fans of his television show FUBAR that his new pacemaker won’t slow him down, writing, “I will be ready to film in April, and you can only see it (the device) if you’re really looking for it.”
On his podcast he went on to say, “I’ve gotten so many messages and emails from people who were born with a bicuspid aortic valve, like me, telling me that talking about my valve replacement surgeries has given them courage and hope to deal with their own.”
What Is a Pacemaker and What Does It Do?
A pacemaker is a small, battery-powered device that prevents the heart from beating too slowly, says Patrick Whalen, MD, an associate professor of medicine, a cardiologist, and the director of electrophysiology at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The purpose of a pacemaker is to keep the heart beating at a normal rhythm. If it senses that it’s beating too slowly, the device sends electrical signals to correct the beat.
Who Needs a Pacemaker?
Pacemakers treat heart failure, a condition that happens when the heart can’t pump enough blood to the body. They’re also used to treat certain types of arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeat — but not everyone with an arrhythmia needs a pacemaker.
“People will commonly ask if a pacemaker will cure their atrial fibrillation (afib), an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm. A pacemaker will keep the heart rate from going too low, but won’t fix afib,” says Dr. Whalen.
People Who Are Born With Heart Defects May Eventually Need a Pacemaker
- Use of beta-blockers, which are medicines to lower blood pressure that can slow the heartbeat
- Heart attack
- Heart transplant
- Certain congenital (a condition you are born with) heart defects
For most people with a bicuspid aortic valve, the valves work fine for many years, and they may not even know they have the condition.
Over time, usually sometime in middle age, these leaflets may be thicker and stiffer than normal, too, which may cause aortic stenosis, a condition where the valve won’t open as easily as it should when the heart squeezes. As a result, the left side of the heart has to work much harder than normal. Over time, this can damage the heart muscle and even lead to symptoms of heart failure.
It isn’t clear why people are born with the condition, but it often runs in families. Schwarzenegger’s mother and grandmother also had bicuspid valves.
The actor believes that medical innovation and “being very diligent about staying in touch with my doctors and listening to them,” is the reason he’s still alive. His mom refused to have the valve replacement surgery and died as a result, he said.
Schwarzenegger Has Had Previous Heart Surgeries
On his podcast, the actor said he had the pacemaker implanted on the advice of his doctors. “It was time to go through with this, because some scar tissue from my previous surgery had made my heartbeat irregular. It had been like that for a few years.”
Schwarzenegger first had his heart valves replaced in 1997, and then again 21 years later in 2018. The valves typically last 12 to 15 years. There was a complication during the second surgery, so the actor had only one replaced and then had the other replaced in 2020, he told his listeners.
Arnold Is Already Back to His Previous Energy Level
According to the actor, his energy levels are already back to normal just a week after the pacemaker was implanted. “That’s one thing you learn about an irregular heartbeat — all that extra work your heart does wears you out,” he said.
The quick recovery is fairly typical, says Whalen. “Most patients go home the same day or the next day after getting a pacemaker,” he says.
Pacemakers Can Improve Quality of Life
The point of a pacemaker is to enable people to do as much or more than you could do without it, says Whalen. “The device allows many people to be more active, and hopefully help them stay out of the hospital and live longer,” he says.
After the procedure, patients will see their doctor after a couple of weeks, and then once a year after that. Pacemakers also send reports directly to the doctor every three months. If any arrhythmias are found, the pacemaker notifies the doctor right away.
Signs You May Need a Pacemaker
- Chest pain
- Unusually fast or slow heartbeat
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, or fainting
- Unexplained confusion
- Swelling in your ankles, legs, and abdomen
- Getting up to pee several times a night
Near the end of the podcast, Schwarzenegger offered some final words of encouragement to his listeners. “I want you to know you aren’t alone. And if you’re putting something off out of fear, I hope I inspire you to listen to your doctors and take care of yourself.”
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