Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has been hospitalized after a fall near his home in Braddock, near Pittsburgh, on Thursday morning, his office announced.
“Out of an abundance of caution,” Fetterman was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh, where it was determined that he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up, the spokesperson said.
The episode “led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries,” according to the statement.
“If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now,” Fetterman joked, according to the spokesperson.
Fetterman is now “doing well” and under observation at the hospital, where he has decided to stay so “doctors can fine-tune his medication regimen.”
“Senator Fetterman is grateful for the EMTs, doctors, and nurses who are providing his care,” the spokesperson said.
Ventricular fibrillation is the most serious form of abnormal heartbeat and can lead to cardiac arrest — when the heart suddenly stops beating — and sudden cardiac death, according to the American Heart Association.
Ventricular fibrillation occurs in the heart’s lower chambers, and the heart association says its causes include cardiomyopathy, which Fetterman was diagnosed with in 2022. Cardiomyopathy can impede blood flow and potentially cause heartbeats so irregular they can be fatal.
Fetterman, 56, disclosed that he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and another type of abnormal heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, after he suffered a stroke on the 2022 campaign trail.
Fetterman has said the stroke was caused by a blood clot triggered by atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, which affects the heart’s upper chambers. He underwent surgery after the stroke to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage the condition.
The lingering effects of his stroke include diminished auditory processing speed, called auditory processing disorder, which makes it harder to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning.
Weeks after joining the Senate in 2023, Fetterman checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression. He was released six weeks later and has since urged people who are depressed to get professional help.
Post-stroke depression is common and treatable through medication and talk therapy, doctors say.
Pennsylvania’s other U.S. senator, Republican Dave McCormick, said he and his wife, Dina, have reached out to Fetterman and his wife, Gisele,
“John is a tough Pittsburgher and is already on the mend,” McCormick said. “We are thinking of him, Gisele, and their entire family – looking forward to seeing my good friend in the coming days.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
