DENVER — Jim Harbaugh listened to his heart when he started to feel a little uncomfortable during pre-game warmups.

The Los Angeles Chargers coach entered the medical tent during Sunday’s first quarter and then to the locker room to be checked for an irregular heartbeat. An ECG showed that his heart had returned to normal rhythm and he returned to the sidelines with his team already 3-0 up.

His team didn’t miss a beat in a 23-16 victory over the Denver Broncos. In fact, his quarterback, Justin Herbert, didn’t even know he wasn’t on the sideline. His brother certainly did, as Baltimore coach John Harbaugh interrupted his postgame press conference after a win over Washington to check in on his brother.

“Everything turned out to be fine in the end,” said Jim Harbaugh, who was given IV fluids. “The doctors examined me and the normal rhythm returned. So came back.

“It’s the heart, so you have to take it seriously.”

Harbaugh said for some time he had suffered from atrial flutter, a condition that can cause the heart to beat too fast. He underwent an ablation procedure in 1999 to treat irregular heart rhythms. He also had one in 2012 when he coached the San Francisco 49ers. He remembers that procedure vividly because it was after a Monday night game in which Colin Kaepernick led the 49ers to a 32-7 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Harbaugh said he hadn’t really experienced another episode until this weekend.

“I started feeling it last night, but I wasn’t really sure,” Harbaugh said. “Just like in 2012, it was during the pre-match warm-ups – I started to feel a little bit.”

Harbaugh tried to inject some humor into it – “2-0 in cardiac arrhythmia,” he cracked.

Herbert was blindsided by the news that his coach had left the sidelines – or that something was wrong. Although he said Harbaugh had said something about his health on Saturday night.

“He said he was very excited about the match. He said his blood was flowing and he was excited,” said Herbert, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. “I thought everything was good to go. That’s definitely something he should have investigated. But he’s a tough guy.”

Harbaugh said that while he was in the locker room, the medical staff took his pulse and did an EKG.

“Trust the doctors. If you don’t trust your doctors, who are you going to trust? he said. “I came back to the locker room and the paramedics came, got an EKG and said the sinus rhythm was (normal) again, and I said, ‘I feel good.’ I went back on the field.”

Harbaugh plans to contact his cardiologist on Monday.

When he left the sideline as the game started, the Chargers described his absence as an illness. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter took over until Harbaugh returned midway through the first quarter with the Chargers up 3-0 and on their way to another score. The Chargers jumped out to a 23-0 lead in the second half before the Broncos made a late surge.

“It was a great and glorious victory for the team,” Harbaugh said. “Really proud of our team, happy. They’re playing good football, offense, defense and special teams, four quarters of it.

“I felt great about that.”

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