U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is being treated Thursday at a Pittsburgh hospital after falling earlier in the day outside his home in Braddock, according to a spokesman for his office.
Fetterman fell while taking a walk and experiencing an episode of ventricular fibrillation, the spokesperson said in a statement released Thursday afternoon on X, formerly known as Twitter. The “flareup” resulted in Fetterman “feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face, with minor injuries,” according to the statement.
Ventricular fibrillation, or v-fib, is an abnormal heart rhythm that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood by making its lower chambers move quickly and randomly, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The hospital describes v-fib as a life-threatening condition requiring immediate medical care.
“Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported” to the unnamed hospital, where doctors examined him and determined what triggered the episode, the statement said. He is “doing well” and will remain there for “routing observation” while doctors “fine-tune” his regiment of medication, according to the statement.
“Senator Fetterman had this to say: ‘If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!’ He is doing well and receiving routine observation at the hospital,” the spokesperson added. “Senator Fetterman is grateful for the EMTs, doctors, and nurses who are providing his care.”
Fetterman suffered a stroke and was hospitalized during his campaign for Senate in 2022. At that time, the stroke was caused by a clot from his heart during an episode of atrial fibrillation two days earlier. Occurring shortly before the primary election, the stroke created a cloud of uncertainty over the Democratic front-runner’s candidacy, but Fetterman went on to win both the primary and later the general election that year.
In 2023, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and spent six weeks there for treatment for depression. Shortly before he was admitted to Walter Reed, he had reported feeling light-headed, but doctors there said at that time that they’d found no evidence of an additional stroke.
This story is developing.
