Fetterman says he’s back home after a fall put the Pennsylvania senator in the hospital

The senator's office said he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that caused him to feel light-headed and fall during an early morning walk Thursday.

Associated Press

November 16, 2025

Pennsylvania's then Lt. Gov. John Fetterman speaks during a campaign event in York, Pa., Oct. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Sen. John Fetterman says he has returned home to his family in Pennsylvania after being hospitalized due to what his office said was a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that caused him to feel light-headed and fall during an early morning walk Thursday.

Fetterman, D-Pa., posted a picture Saturday on X that showed the aftereffects to his nose and forehead, saying “20 stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home” with his wife, Gisele, and their children.

The smiling Fetterman also said he was grateful for the medical team in Pittsburgh that “put me back together.”

“See you back in DC,” he concluded.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

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 had a stroke during his 2022 campaign.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.