Sen. John Fetterman returns home after cardiac episode led to fall

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said on social media that he is back at home with his family and fully recovered after being hospitalized for a fall caused by a serious cardiac episode Thursday.

Fetterman posted a selfie on X that showed a large scar across his face. The senator said he received 20 stitches.

“I’m overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes,” Fetterman, 53, wrote, adding a thank you message to the staff at UPMC.

“See you back in DC,” he added.

A spokesperson for Fetterman on Thursday said that he had suffered a ventricular fibrillation, a serious cardiac condition that momentarily reduces blood flow. The episode led to the fall, during which he sustained “minor injuries” to his face.

“If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!” Fetterman had joked in a statement following the fall.

While campaigning for senate in 2022, Fetterman suffered a stroke, after which he had a pacemaker-defibrillator implanted.

The device can detect a flare up in cardiac abnormality immediately, but a fall can still happen in the split second before it kicks into gear, NBC News medical contributor and professor of medicine at Stanford University Dr. Kavita Patel said in an email after Fetterman’s fall Thursday.