The Berrima resident is at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital after surgery on Wednesday, December 13 to replace a valve damaged due to illness.

The 67-year-old Cold Chisel frontman took to social media on Wednesday morning to tell fans he'd been battling a bacterial infection and it had spread to his heart.

"Unfortunately I got some bad news yesterday ... despite everyone's best efforts the bacterial infection I've been battling over the last fortnight has apparently now spread to my heart," he posted.

"It's infected an otherwise healthy valve that was replaced some years ago due to a congenital defect, so I'll be getting open-heart surgery over the next few hours to clear out this infection and put in a clean valve."

Just after 7pm on Wednesday Barnes' wife Jane posted to his social media pages that the surgery had been completed.

"I'm happy to let you know that our Jimmy has made it through his surgery and is now recovering in the ICU," she posted.

"We are so grateful for the incredible medical team looking after him. Thank you for all the love and support. I will keep you all posted."

With a line-up of gigs across the summer, Barnes asked his fans to be patient while he figures out what his health meant for upcoming shows.

"This has all happened very suddenly, so it's going to take a few days for everyone to figure out what's going to be doable," he wrote said.