Chargers forward Jim Harbaugh is confident his heart condition is under control

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – After leaving Sunday's game against the Broncos with an irregular heartbeat, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that he will wear a heart monitor, take a blood thinner and another medication for the next two weeks, to protect his heart tips.

Harbaugh visited a cardiologist on Monday, who did not recommend a medical procedure but said he may undergo one in the future. In 1999 and 2012, Harbaugh underwent ablation, a procedure that uses heat or cold to destroy heart tissue that causes an irregular heartbeat.

Harbaugh said he is not considering retiring from football.

“It would give me cardiac arrest not to be out there on the sideline,” Harbaugh said.

He said he will continue to follow doctors' orders and that he has learned more about treating his heart.

“I feel pretty confident that I know what it is and how to deal with it,” Harbaugh said. “But we will contact the doctors as always and they will tell me what to do.”

Harbaugh was briefly sidelined in the first quarter of the Chargers' 23-16 win over the Broncos on Sunday after experiencing atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast.

Harbaugh went to the locker room, where paramedics treated him. He had an electrocardiogram and eventually they got his heart back into a normal rhythm. Harbaugh returned in the first quarter and coached the rest of the game. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was the interim coach while Harbaugh was out.

Harbaugh said he's had a bout of illness in a game before. In 2012, while coaching the San Francisco 49ers in a game against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football,” he experienced an irregular heartbeat, but finished the game's practice and then consulted a doctor.

Harbaugh said the altitude in Denver had no effect on his irregular heartbeat. He felt unwell before the Chargers boarded their flight to Denver and even mentioned it to quarterback Justin Herbert.

“I thought to myself, 'I don't know if I'm really excited about the game or if it's just because my cardiac arrhythmia is starting again,'” Harbaugh said expressionlessly.