PHILADELPHIA — A cardiologist who examined Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman after his stroke said the Democratic Senate nominee has a type of cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. He said the pacemaker-defibrillator Fetterman received, along with diet, medication and exercise, should allow him to go on with his campaign.
“The prognosis I can give for John’s heart is this: If he takes his medications, eats healthy and exercises, he’ll be fine,” said Ramesh Chandra of Alliance Cardiology. “If he does what I’ve told him ... he should be able to campaign and serve in the U.S. Senate without a problem.”
The Allegheny County cardiologist also said Fetterman ignored his advice back in 2017, when Fetterman was experiencing swollen feet and went to see him. Chandra diagnosed him then with atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, a type of irregular heart rhythm, and prescribed medications along with improved diet and exercise. He asked Fetterman to follow up in a few months.
