Durbin undergoes outpatient heart procedure at Northwestern

WASHINGTON — After being diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm called an atrial flutter, Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill., on Tuesday underwent an outpatient procedure at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“I anticipate that this heart tune-up will give my classic roadster many more miles of reliable service,” said Durbin in a statement.

“My Congressional colleagues who want to cut funding for medical research and take away health insurance for millions of Americans should remember that all of us are only one diagnosis away from needing the best care for ourselves and the people we love.”

Durbin, 72, first elected to the Senate in 1996, after serving in the House, was symptom-free until his condition was discovered during an annual physical, his office said.

His office said in a statement, “After discussing his treatment options, Durbin chose a procedure known as catheter ablation, a low-risk outpatient procedure where “the catheter emits a pulse of painless radiofrequency energy which destroys the abnormal heart tissue and corrects the irregular heartbeat,” according to the American Heart Association.

Durbin, with residences in Chicago and Springfield, will remain in Illinois for the rest of the week.