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Kris Rhim, ESPN
EL SEGUNO, Calif. – Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday he will undergo cardiac ablation this offseason and a hip replacement.
Harbaugh, 61, briefly left the Chargers’ Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos after a bout of atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat at an abnormally high rate. Harbaugh wore a heart monitor for two weeks during the season.
Harbaugh went to the locker room, where paramedics treated him. He had an electrocardiogram and eventually his heart returned to normal. Harbaugh returned in the first quarter and coached the rest of the game. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was the interim head coach during Harbaugh’s absence.
In 2012, Harbaugh experienced his final surge. It happened while he was coaching the San Francisco 49ers in a game against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football,” when he experienced an irregular heartbeat, but finished coaching the game and then consulted doctors.
As for his hip replacement, Harbaugh now walks with a significant limp from his hip, which will be corrected by the surgery.
Harbaugh has previously said he would not consider retiring due to his health issues.
“My heart would have to stop to not be on the sidelines,” Harbaugh said in October.
