The former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, underwent an emergency surgical intervention this Saturday, December 27th, to treat a chronic bout of hiccups that has affected him for nine months.
The procedure, carried out at the DF Star hospital in Brasília, was carried out just two days after Bolsonaro underwent surgery for two inguinal hernias, at a time when he is serving a prison sentence of more than 27 years.
The medical team, led by surgeon Cláudio Birolini, opted to block the phrenic nerve on the right side. This nerve is mainly responsible for sending signals from the brain to the diaphragm, and its excessive stimulation is the direct cause of the persistent hiccups that have prevented the former ruler from resting and post-operative recovery.
According to the medical bulletin released in the early hours of this Sunday (Lisbon time), the intervention was necessary after Bolsonaro’s state of exhaustion worsened. Although the hernia surgeries, carried out on Christmas Day, took place without immediate complications, the violence of the hiccups during the early hours of Friday put the patient’s healing and physical well-being at risk. If the evolution is positive, a new intervention on the left side of the nerve is scheduled for next Monday, December 29th.