Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after fall, his office says

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.