Official medical updates from Hospital Sírio-Libanês

Brazil's President Lula, 79, Recovering After Brain Surgery, to Undergo Embolization Procedure Thursday

Dec 11, 2024, 08:00 PM

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 79, is recovering in the intensive care unit at the Hospital Sírio-Libanês in São Paulo after undergoing emergency surgery to drain an intracranial hemorrhage, believed to be related to a fall he suffered at home in October. According to his medical team, including his physician Roberto Kalil Filho, Lula is lucid, oriented, and has been conversing. He spent a stable night and is evolving well in his post-operative recovery. The president has been sitting up in bed, walking, and undergoing physical therapy. He is allowed to receive visits from family members but is not yet permitted to resume work activities. The medical team has announced that Lula will undergo a second procedure on Thursday morning, December 12, to block the flow of blood to his brain and prevent further bleeding. This procedure involves embolization of the meningeal arteries and is part of the therapeutic plan to ensure he does not experience new intracranial bleeding. Doctors have expressed cautious optimism about Lula's recovery, noting that his evolution is within expected parameters. The president remains under intensive care monitoring, and the date for his discharge from the ICU has not yet been determined, with medical staff emphasizing that "each day is a day." Lula is expected to remain hospitalized until at least next week.