Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after fall, his office says

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman had what his office says was a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up” that caused him to feel light-headed and fall during an early morning walk Thursday.

Fetterman was doing well and hospitalized in Pittsburgh, his office said. He sustained minor injuries to his face and was under “routine observation” at the hospital while doctors fine-tune his medication regimen, his office said.

Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in 2022, has disclosed that he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and a heart condition called atrial fibrillation.

Cardiomyopathy can impede blood flow and potentially cause heartbeats so irregular they can be fatal. Atrial fibrillation can cause blood to pool inside a pocket of the heart, allowing clots to form. Clots then can break off, get stuck and cut off blood, causing a stroke.

Fetterman has said the stroke was atrial fibrillation. Fetterman, 55, 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.