PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who has been in the hospital recovering from a stroke since Friday, will get a pacemaker, his campaign said in a release Tuesday afternoon.
”John Fetterman is about to undergo a standard procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator. It should be a short procedure that will help protect his heart and address the underlying cause of his stroke, atrial fibrillation,” the campaign statement read. Fetterman, the leading candidate in Pennsylvania’s Senate Democratic primary race, suffered the stroke just days before Tuesday’s election.
Atrial fibriliation, or a-fib, is caused by irregular heart rhythm. Pacemakers regulate heart rate and rhythm.
The campaign has said doctors reversed Fetterman’s stroke in time to prevent any cognitive damage and that he is expected to make a full recovery.
The campaign has not responded to requests from the media to talk to Fetterman’s doctors.
Fetterman voted via emergency absentee ballot Tuesday and is expected to remain in the hospital for several days.
His wife Gisele will attend an election night rally in Pittsburgh.
Earlier Tuesday, Gisele Fetterman told reporters outside her polling place in Braddock that her husband was recovering well and “impatient,” but in good spirits.
She said the experience has her eager to talk about strokes and the signs to watch for, along with the lack of access to emergency medical care for many in the state.
“We were lucky that we were in a location ... we were very close to a stroke center, one of the best in the state. We should be talking about parts of the state that are rural areas, that would not have had the same access and the same intervention that he would have had.”
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