I asked my surgeon how large the femoral artery was, and he circled his hand, larger than tthe size of a nickel. I had no clue it was so large, but it makes sense.
After the procedure, the main risk was that incision would reopen and I'd bleed a lot, which he said would mean a very urgent trip to the ER, so don't go moving around much. I had to lie on a very uncomfortable table for an hour before they'd let me leave. He said after six days I was good to do anything.
I'm curious why they use a wrist for stents and the femoral for valve cauterization to treat flutter.