Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro underwent a second phrenic nerve block procedure on Monday to treat persistent hiccups, his medical team confirmed. The treatment was successful and his condition is stable.
Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup to overturn the 2022 election, has been in hospital since Christmas Eve. He was granted judicial permission to leave prison for hernia repair surgery, which was successful. However, due to a bout of hiccups lasting months, doctors performed a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure on Saturday to block the right phrenic nerve. The left-side procedure was postponed until Monday to mitigate risks.
Michelle Bolsonaro, the former president's wife, wrote on social media: 'Procedure completed. Thank God, we are now waiting for him to be taken back to his room.' Earlier, she described 'nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups.'
Dr Claudio Birolini told journalists that Bolsonaro is expected to be discharged on 1 January if his recovery remains uneventful. Bolsonaro was authorised to leave prison by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes at the request of his defence lawyers. While in hospital, he endorsed the 2026 presidential bid of his son, Flavio Bolsonaro.
Once discharged, Bolsonaro will return to serving his sentence at a federal police jail in Brasilia. He has had health problems since being stabbed during a campaign event in September 2018, which led to multiple abdominal surgeries.
