The cerebral hemorrhage detected in Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not compromise any of his brain functions. The medical team, led by Dr. Roberto Kalil, expects President Lula to resume his activities next week. As a precaution, he will remain in the intensive care unit of the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in São Paulo for 48 hours.
The 79-year-old man was taken to the hospital in the capital, Brasília, on Monday (10), after complaining of a severe headache.
An MRI revealed the hemorrhage, and Lula was transferred to the renowned Sírio-Libanês Hospital in São Paulo to drain it.
The intracranial hemorrhage was caused by a head trauma sustained when he fell in the bathroom of the presidential residence in October, according to a statement from the hospital.
The procedure performed on the president involved a small perforation in the skull, between two meningeal layers, followed by the insertion of a drain to remove the accumulated blood, the doctors explained.
Dr. Roberto Kalil also emphasized that the holes made in the skull are small and should heal spontaneously, without the need for future intervention. President Lula is alert and awake, accompanied only by First Lady Janja da Silva.
“The president will not have any sequelae and there is no risk of complications because the hematoma was located between the skull bone and the brain. There is no damage to his brain. This procedure aims to prevent the hematoma from compressing the brain. The hematoma, located between two meningeal layers, was 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