Lula’s brain functions not affected by bleeding, doctor says
The brain bleed detected in 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 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 procedure is known as trepanation. Dr. Kalil reported the patient reacted well to the procedure and is now eating and communicating well.
No complications
“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.
According to the medical team, the president had a flu-like illness in the early hours of the morning, followed by a headache. He was sent to hospital in Brasília.
“Since he fell, we immediately carried out all the tests [CT and MRI scans],” Dr. Kalil said. President Lula was then sent to intensive care at the same hospital in São Paulo.
