MP recovers after heart surgery

Mr Kilfoyle smoked 20 cigarettes a day before his heart attack

Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle is recovering at home after undergoing a quadruple heart bypass operation.

The MP for Liverpool Walton was told he had suffered a heart attack in June after going to the Royal Liverpool Hospital with chest pains.

The 60-year-old had a bypass operation at Broadgreen Hospital two weeks ago.

Mr Kilfoyle said: "I feel like I have been 15 rounds with Smokin' Joe Frazier but the doctors tell me I will be healthier than I have been for years."

Mr Kilfoyle, who smoked 20 cigarettes a day before the attack, remained in hospital for a week and is now at home.

Return to work

He said he hopes to be back at Parliament in the autumn.

"I have only got myself to blame for this. I was a smoker, I'm overweight and I don't get enough exercise," Mr Kilfoyle said.

"I never realised there was a problem before but I plan to pay more attention to my health from now on.

"I can't praise the work of the doctors, nurses and all staff enough."

A quadruple heart bypass involves grafting a new blood vessel to each of the four coronary arteries, to improve blood flow around the heart.