Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to leave intensive care on Friday after undergoing a follow-up medical procedure aimed at reducing the risk of further bleeding following his emergency brain surgery earlier this week.
The 79-year-old leader has been hospitalized at São Paulo’s Sírio-Libanês hospital since Tuesday after emergency surgery to address a brain hematoma caused by a fall in October. The initial procedure involved trepanation—a small hole drilled into the skull to drain the bleeding.
On Thursday morning, Lula underwent a middle meningeal artery embolization, a non-surgical intervention to block blood flow to the site of the original bleed. Neurosurgeon Dr. Marcos Stavale explained that this follow-up procedure significantly minimizes the risk of future bleeding, ensuring “maximum safety.”
Cardiologist Dr. Roberto Kalil Filho confirmed that Lula is “awake and talking” and will likely be discharged from intensive care on Friday. Full hospital discharge is expected early next week, with doctors advising rest and avoiding physical or mental exertion. Lula’s medical team emphasized that his cognitive and neurological functions remain intact.
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