LOS ANGELES, April 22 -- Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is home from the hospital after elective heart surgery, and his doctor says he is stronger than ever. Schwarzenegger reportedly left USC University Hospital sometime last night and returned home to his compound in the western Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades. Dr. Vaughn Starnes, the chief of cardiothoracic surgery, said today (Tuesday), 'Arnold's heart itself is strong and healthy.
He will resume his full active lifestyle with no limitations, restrictions or medications at all. 'I want to reassure his fans that he is stronger than ever and he'll be back at work this summer.' The 49-year-old action star had a defective heart valve replaced April 16, scheduling the procedure after filming his Mr. Freeze role for 'Batman and Robin' and before promoting the summer release. Schwarzenegger said in a statement, 'Choosing to undergo open heart surgery when I never felt sick was the hardest decision I've ever made. I can now look forward to a long, healthy life with my family. I want to thank the doctors and nurses at University Hospital for taking such good care of me.' The Austrian-born former bodybuilder also had his pregnant wife, newcaster Maria Shriver, constantly at his bedside. And his mother, Aurelia, came from Austria to lend a hand, reportedly taking homemade apple streudel to him in the hospital.
