Brazil former President Bolsonaro’s health has worsened, doctors say

SAO PAULO — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s health condition has worsened following bowel surgery nearly two weeks ago, his doctors said Thursday.

The medical team at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia, where Bolsonaro continues to recover in intensive care, said the former president “experienced a clinical decline, elevated blood pressure and worsening liver lab test results.” He would undergo additional imaging tests on Thursday, the doctors added.

Bolsonaro underwent a 12-hour surgery on April 13 to remove intestinal adhesions and reconstruct the abdominal wall. It was the sixth procedure related to long-term effects of being stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in September 2018.

Bolsonaro has been in and out of hospitals since the attack and underwent multiple surgeries during his presidency from 2019-2022.

Doctors described the latest surgery as the “most complex” since the stabbing, requiring a “very delicate and prolonged post-surgery.”

There is no expected discharge date from ICU, according to Thursday’s statement. Bolsonaro continues to receive parenteral nutrition and undergo physical therapy and preventive measures for thrombosis.

Since the initial medical report, doctors have advised against visitors for Bolsonaro.

However, the president of his Liberal Party, Valdemar Costa Neto, visited the former president in the ICU on Tuesday. Later that day, Bolsonaro appeared in a live broadcast on the YouTube channel of his eldest son, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro. And on Monday, the far-right leader gave an interview from his hospital bed to the local television network SBT, saying his trial was not technical but political.

In response, a Supreme Court officer went to Bolsonaro’s hospital room on Wednesday to formally notify him of the start of his trial for an alleged attempt to stage a coup. His legal team has five days, from Wednesday, to present a preliminary defense.

Bolsonaro shared a video of the court officer’s notification, showing him questioning her. He appeared agitated, and someone in the room — apparently a member of his medical team —warned that his blood pressure was rising.

The court officer said in the video that the warrant had been issued on April 11, the same day Bolsonaro was first admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain.

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