Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh will undergo cardiac ablation this offseason as well as a hip replacement.
“Soon,” Harbaugh said.
During the Chargers’ Week 6 road game against the Denver Broncos, Harbaugh, 61, retreated to the locker room and was treated for an irregular heartbeat. Marco Zucconi, the Chargers’ director of health, wellness and player performance, gave the coach an IV and magnesium to treat the illness.
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had temporarily taken the reins from Harbaugh, who returned in the first quarter to coach the rest of the game.
After an exam the next day, Harbaugh said of his return to play: “My heart would have to stop to not be on the sidelines.”
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Harbaugh wore a heart monitor for the next two weeks and took a blood thinner and another medication to keep his heart rate from increasing or getting too low.
The incident marked Harbaugh’s third experience with atrial flutter, the first in 1999 and the second in 2012.
Harbaugh limped noticeably as he left the field in Houston after the Texans were eliminated chargers in the AFC wild card round with a Victory 32-12, his difficulties are said to be caused by hip problems.
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
