US Senator John Fetterman hospitalized after fall, his 4th medical emergency since taking office

Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman is receiving care at a Pittsburgh hospital after suffering a fall near his home, according to his office.

Fetterman, who fell during a morning walk near his Braddock home, was taken to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution,” and is doing well and undergoing routine observation, the spokesperson said.

“Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries,” his spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

“He has opted to stay so doctors can fine-tune his medication regimen,” they added.

In the statement, Fetterman remarked: “If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!’”

It was not immediately clear how long the senator was expected to remain under doctors’ care.

Lawmakers are in their home districts after passing a funding bill to reopen the government earlier this week, ending a historic shutdown. The Senate is expected to return to Washington next week.

This is not his first medical issue since taking office .

In May 2022, while campaigning for the Senate, Fetterman suffered a serious stroke. This was caused by a blood clot resulting from atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm).

He underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage this heart condition. The stroke left him with auditory processing disorder, which affects his ability to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation, necessitating the use of closed-captioning technology.

In February 2023, he was briefly hospitalized after feeling lightheaded, though doctors ruled out a new stroke at the time.

Later in February 2023, he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for six weeks to receive inpatient treatment for clinical depression, which is a common and treatable aftereffect of a stroke. He has since been an advocate for mental health awareness.

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