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.
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.
Fetterman 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.
