What did Harry Redknapp's heart surgery involve? A cardiac nurse explains all

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will undergo a minor heart procedure today.

Redknapp to have heart surgery  

The 64-year-old went to hospital last night to undergo tests and will now have an operation on a minor blockage in one of his arteries, according to Press Association Sport.

Experts said the most likely treatment would be a coronary angioplasty - which unblocks arteries - and is usually complete within an hour.

A coronary nurse said someone undergoing the procedure today could be back at work next Monday.

The angioplasty improves blood flow when arteries become clogged with fatty plaque - caused by high cholesterol, high blood pressure, poor diet or the two main risks, obesity and smoking.

The procedure, developed in the 1980s and mainstream by the 1990s, is known for its high success rate and enabling the patient to quickly return to work and normal life.

Maureen Talbot, a senior cardiac nurse with the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's a pretty routine procedure.

"The patient either goes in for a day or is kept in overnight depending what time of day they went into the catheter lab.

"People don't have to go to theatre for it, it's a procedure, not surgery and it's done under local anaesthetic."

She added: "If someone had that procedure now they would be back next Monday."

Anaesthetic is injected in the groin at the femoral artery.

"That's probably the worst part of it because it stings, but it numbs the area," said Mrs Talbot.

A cardiologist then inserts a catheter in the groin which is fed up the femoral artery towards the heart.

Once fed inside the blocked artery a balloon attached to the catheter is inflated with an air pump.

The pressure fights against the fatty plaque that has built up and widens the artery enabling blood to flow more easily.

In order to ensure the plaque does not bounce back a stent, metal tube, is left to prevent the restenosis - artery renarrowing.

The catheter is then removed.

It is normal procedure to have a surgeon on standby as a precaution in case a problem arises.

Patients are prescribed blood-thinning medication to prevent clotting around the stent, usually in the form of a daily tablet.

The main complication is bleeding at the site of the femoral artery usually when the catheter is taken out, Mrs Talbot said.

The procedure on one artery takes about 40 minutes.

A collagen plug, which dissolves within a year, is inserted to ensure bleeding has stopped.

The patient has bed rest and is monitored before being allowed home.

"The advice is usually one week off for a manual job and around two or three for a sedentary worker," said Mrs Talbot.

She added that usually there is a three-month check up, but a high profile figure would in all likelihood be seen sooner.

Writing in his Sun column, Redknapp said: "About a year ago I needed to take heart pills and I am still taking them regularly... I am absolutely fine and have no worries about my health but this game can make the most mild-mannered of people explode as when you are sitting on the bench you get eaten up inside from first to last whistle."

Sam Allardyce, manager of Championship football team West Ham, had an angioplasty after chest "discomfort" at the end of 2009.

He said he felt "so much better just a few weeks after."