Sen. Heflin Undergoes Coronary Procedure

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Doctors inserted a tiny coil of wire into one of Sen. Howell Heflin’s heart arteries Monday in a bid to avoid a heart attack and bypass surgery.

Heflin, 71, was in satisfactory condition after the procedure.

Heflin’s right coronary artery had been narrowing rapidly, said his cardiologist, Dr. Gerald M. Pohost. Without the procedure, Heflin, a Democrat from Alabama, would have had a heart attack or would have had to undergo bypass surgery, Pohost said.