Brazil: Doctor says Bolsonaro not likely to need surgery again

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Doctor Antonio Luiz Macedo, responsible for the treatment of President Jair Bolsonaro, said he would return to Brazil on Monday, January 3, to see the President, who interrupted his vacation after an intestinal issue and has been hospitalized in São Paulo since the early morning.

“Surgery will probably not be necessary,” said the doctor and surgeon, who has not yet been with the patient. “The condition is similar to last time,” he said, on reports and test results he has been receiving.

Macedo said that only after personally examining Bolsonaro will he be able to determine the need for surgery, but stated that, so far, the exams indicate a situation similar to the last hospitalization, in July last year, when the procedure was not required.
According to Macedo, the President is stable.

The President’s doctor was on vacation in the Bahamas, but would return to Brazil last night on a plane chartered by Vila Nova Star Hospital, where the President is under observation. He was expected to reach the hospital at around 1 AM this Tuesday, January 4.

Bolsonaro, who had been on vacation on the Santa Catarina coast, posted a message on his social networks saying he had felt ill after lunch on Sunday, January 2. The President also posted a photo in the hospital in which he is shown with a nasogastric tube.

“More tests will be done for a possible surgery for internal obstruction in the abdominal region,” the President said.

Vila Nova Star hospital, in southern São Paulo, reported that Bolsonaro was “stable,” but at this point there is no expected discharge.

The note says that he “was admitted to the unit in the early hours of Monday morning due to a intestinal subocclusion condition.”

The President also reported that he is using a nasogastric tube. “It is the second hospitalization with the same symptoms, as a consequence of the stabbing (September 6, 2018) and four major surgeries,” he said, recalling the last hospitalization and the history of treatments.

On July 14, 2021, amid the government’s attrition due to accusations of bribery in the purchase of vaccines disclosed by the Covid CPI, Bolsonaro was hospitalized in São Paulo with intestinal obstruction – a condition linked to his stabbing in 2018. The President was discharged on July 18 and did not undergo surgery.

At the time, the recall of the attack ultimately boosted the President’s digital popularity, which was low amid the CPI crisis and opposition protests.

This time, Bolsonaro’s supporters and family have also begun to recall the assassination attempt.

“I appreciate the prayers and messages of affection received for Jair’s hospitalization resulting from the attack he suffered in 2018. Sequela that we will carry for the rest of our lives,” posted first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

Macedo was one of the doctors who operated on Bolsonaro after the 2018 stabbing and has been monitoring the President’s health ever since.

Doctors at the hospital initially assessed that his condition seems to be less serious than before, but they will wait for Macedo’s opinion to decide if any surgery will be necessary.

The medical team suspects that the intestinal obstruction, with fluid retention in the intestinal cavity, is the result of a poor diet, not an excess or lack of physical activity.

The President experienced abdominal pain in Santa Catarina, which prompted the anticipation of his leave. He was expected to remain on the Santa Catarina coast until Monday, when he boarded at dawn toward São Paulo with his family and delegation.

“It is the second hospitalization with the same symptoms, as a consequence of the stab wound and four major surgeries,” the President said.

The morning was quiet outside the São Paulo hospital, with only journalists present. Neither the President’s supporters nor his detractors came. During the afternoon, a retired teacher stood at the hospital entrance to show support for the President.

In July last year, Bolsonaro was hospitalized for 5 days, also due to an intestinal obstruction, but did not need to undergo surgery. The clinical treatment, with a special diet and the removal of liquid through a tube, was enough to solve the problem.

The procedures to be adopted for Bolsonaro will depend on the assessment over the next few hours.