Bolsonaro Undergoes Medical Procedure for Chronic Hiccups Following Hernia Surgery Amid Legal Troubles
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro underwent a medical procedure to treat chronic hiccups that had persisted for nine months. Doctors said the treatment, which involved blocking the right phrenic nerve and was planned to include the left nerve, lasted about an hour and was not considered surgery. This procedure followed an earlier surgery this week to address a double hernia, after which Bolsonaro was transferred to hospital with permission.
Before undergoing the hernia surgery, Bolsonaro endorsed his son Flávio to run against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2026 presidential election; the endorsement was read publicly in a handwritten letter outside the hospital. After being discharged, Bolsonaro returned to a cell at the Federal Police headquarters where he will continue serving his sentence.
Bolsonaro was found guilty in September of plotting a coup and was initially under house arrest pending appeals. Last month, he was taken into police custody as a concrete flight risk. On the same day as his transfer to police custody, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the house arrest of 10 officials involved in the attempted coup.
