Sen. Durbin treated for irregular heartbeat

WASHINGTON – No. 2 Senate Democrat Dick Durbin is recovering in Illinois after an outpatient procedure for an irregular heartbeat.

Durbin was recently diagnosed with atrial flutter, a common, non-life threatening condition in which the heart beats less efficiently but one in which symptoms are often not noticeable.

The Illinois Democrat had a procedure at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago in which a catheter was used to ablate tissue in his heart to try to disrupt the nerve impulses that cause the abnormal rhythm. Durbin used his treatment to make the case for medical research, citing the procedure, which is increasingly common and considered relatively low risk.

He will remain in Illinois for the remainder of the week.