The brain bleed detected in the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has not compromised any of his cerebral functions. The medical team, led by Dr. Roberto Kalil, expects President Lula to resume his activities next week. As a precaution, he should remain in intensive care at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in São Paulo for 48 hours.
The 79-year-old was taken to hospital in the capital, Brasília, on Monday (10) after he had complained of a severe headache.
An MRI scan revealed a bleed, and Lula was transferred to the renowned Sírio-Libanês hospital in São Paulo to have it drained.
The intracranial bleeding was caused by a blow to the head he sustained when he fell in his bathroom at the presidential residence in October, according to a hospital statement.
The procedure undergone by the president includes a small perforation in the skull, between two meningeal blades, followed by the insertion of a drain to remove the accumulated blood, the doctors explained.
Dr. Roberto Kalil also pointed out that the holes made in the skull are small and should heal spontaneously, with no need for future intervention. President Lula is lucid and awake, accompanied only by First Lady Janja da Silva.
“The president will have no sequelae and there is no risk of complications, because the bruise was located between the skull bone and the brain. There is no damage to his brain. This procedure aims to prevent the bruise from compressing the brain. The bruise, located between two meningeal layers, has been completely drained. The most important thing is that there was no trauma to his brain,” the doctor said during a press conference at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital.
Source: Agência Brasil