Jim Harbaugh's health scare: What is the Chargers coach suffering from?

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh He has opened up about a health problem that made him abruptly leave the bench in the middle of a game.

Harbaugh, 60, entered the Chargers' medical tent just before the start of the team's Sunday, Oct. 13 matchup against the Denver Broncos. The coach was then seen walking to the locker room with team staff as the game began.

The Chargers' X-Account reported that Harbaugh left with an “illness” and was “questionable if he would return.”

Minutes later, however, Harbaugh returned to the field and remained there for the remainder of the Chargers' 23-16 victory.

During the CBS broadcast, sideline reporter AJ Ross He said Harbaugh was dealing with an “arrhythmia,” which Ross reported Harbaugh had been “dealing with on and off for a while.”

For a complete breakdown of what Harbaugh said after the game, what exactly Harbaugh's condition is, and how those closest to Harbaugh reacted to the news, read on.

Why did Jim Harbaugh leave the field against the Broncos?

After Harbaugh suddenly left the field without warning on Sunday, he explained exactly what happened during his postgame press conference.

“In the end everything worked out,” Harbaugh told reporters. “I deal with this, I suppose, of minor importance. [problem]It's called atrial flutter. I went into an episode today with that. The doctors examined me and I returned to sinus rhythm, regular rhythm. So I came back.”

Harbaugh was experiencing “some irregular heartbeats,” so he wanted the Chargers training staff to check him out.

“I know a lot about this, so I just wanted to see what the pulse was,” Harbaugh said of his trip to the medical tent. “I'm not good at taking my pulse. So they just took the pulse and it was in the arrhythmia. But I felt like we were fine and then they just said, 'No, we need to get an EKG.'”

Harbaugh added: “So [I] I went back to the locker room and the paramedics came and did an EKG. They said I was back in sinus rhythm and I said, 'I feel good.' So, [I] “I went back to the field.”

What is atrial flutter?

According to the American Heart Association, atrial flutter is a rhythmic alteration of the heart that occurs when “the chambers beat faster than regular and not always in coordination.”

During atrial flutter, the upper chambers of the heart beat 250 to 350 times per minute, a dramatic increase from the normal rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute.

While the cause is largely unknown, atrial flutter can lead to stroke, heart failure, and additional heart rhythm problems.

Does Jim Harbaugh have a history of heart problems?

Yes, Harbaugh underwent cardioversion in 2012 to correct an irregular heartbeat while he was the interim head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

“Get back to normal,” Harbaugh told reporters at the time. “It's amazing that they can do a procedure like that.”

Cardioversion involves an electrical shock that causes the heart to return to its regular rhythm.

In 1999, Harbaugh underwent a similar procedure to correct his heartbeat while playing for the Chargers.

During his postgame press conference on Sunday, Harbaugh vividly recalled the most recent incident, which occurred during the 49ers' 32-7 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“I always remember the one in 2012, it was during the Monday night game,” Harbaugh said. “Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers against the Chicago Bears. Colin had a great night that night. It was nothing during the game. After the game, [I] “They checked me out and ended up having to have an ablation because I didn’t get back into rhythm.”

Harbaugh had a good sense of humor about both experiences, joking: “2-and-0 with arrhythmias.”

How did Jim Harbaugh's family and players react to the cardiac arrhythmia incident?

Jim's brother, John Harbaughhead coach of the Baltimore Ravens, was kicked out of his postgame press conference on Sunday after learning the news.

During his media availability on Monday, October 14, the Ravens coach, 62, addressed the incident.

“He's had that problem in the past, he's had a couple of procedures over the years,” John said. “Even as a player he had it once. He is fine now and they will do some tests today.”

John joked that “somehow [Jim] “He convinced” the medical staff to let him return to the field to train the rest of the game.

After Sunday's game, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert He praised his coach's stoicism given the circumstances.

“It's tough,” Herbert, 26, told reporters. “He did a very good job of hiding it because I didn't realize it. “They did a good job of staying calm.”

The Chargers return to action on Monday, October 21 against the Arizona Cardinals.