U.S. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin undergoes heart procedure

[May 03, 2017]  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, the chamber's second-ranking Democrat, had a procedure on Tuesday in Chicago to correct an irregular heartbeat, his office said.

Durbin, 72, was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for an “atrial flutter,” which occurs when the heart beats too quickly. The condition was discovered during a recent annual physical, the Illinois lawmaker's office said.

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

Durbin had no symptoms and was able to maintain his regular schedule before and after the condition was discovered. He is scheduled to remain in Illinois for the rest of the week.

Durbin used the statement about his outpatient procedure to criticize Republican efforts in the U.S. Congress to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

"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," he said.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) questions Supreme Court nominee judge Neil Gorsuch during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington March 21, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo