Chargers' Jim Harbaugh exits vs. Broncos with atrial flutter - ESPN

DENVER — After briefly leaving in the first quarter of Sunday's win against the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that he has atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat at an abnormally high rate, and that a flare-up made him seek medical attention.

Harbaugh went to the locker room, where paramedics treated him. He had an electrocardiogram scan, and eventually, they got his heart back to a normal rhythm. Harbaugh returned later in the first quarter and coached the remainder of the game.

He said he has had a flare-up in a game before. He said that in 2012, when he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers in a game against the Chicago Bears on «Monday Night Football,» he felt an irregular heartbeat but finished coaching the game and saw doctors afterward.

Doctors weren't able to get Harbaugh's heart back to a regular rhythm, so he had an ablation, which is a procedure that uses heat or cold to destroy heart tissue that is causing an irregular heartbeat. Harbaugh said he also had an ablation in 1999.

«2-0 with an arrhythmia,» Harbaugh joked.

While he was out, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was the interim head coach, but many players didn't even know that Harbaugh was absent during the game or that he had an issue with his heart.

Quarterback Justin Herbert found out when a reporter asked him about the situation during his postgame news conference.

«He's tough,» Herbert said. «He did a really good job of hiding that then because I was unaware of it. They did a good job of keeping calm. I hope he's OK. Is he all right?»

Harbaugh said he felt discomfort Saturday night but didn't think much of it. Then during pregame warmups, he realized his heart was beating