THURSDAY, March 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will remain hospitalized with a concussion after suffering a fall during a dinner on Wednesday night.

“Leader McConnell tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion," McConnell's communications director David Popp said in a statement released Thursday, NBC News reported. "He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days of observation and treatment. The Leader is grateful to the medical professionals for their care and to his colleagues for their warm wishes.”

When the 81-year-old, who is the longest-serving Senate Republican leader in history, might return to the Senate after his injury is unclear, according to the New York Times.

Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate and have recently needed Vice President Kamala Harris to cast tie-breaking votes on some judicial nominations as some Democrats have been absent. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), 53, is working remotely during treatment for depression and unable to vote because he is not physically present. Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), 89, is also out, after being hospitalized with shingles.

McConnell was previously injured in 2019, having surgery after fracturing his shoulder on a patio at his home in Louisville, the Times reported. He was last re-elected as minority leader in 2022.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on falls in older adults.

SOURCE: NBC News; New York Times