Bolsonaro Returns to Operating Room After Hiccups Recur, Family Says

Overview

• Michelle Bolsonaro said the former president was taken back to the operating room at Hospital DF Star in Brasília for a reinforcement of the phrenic nerve block after hiccups returned on Dec. 30.
• He previously underwent bilateral inguinal hernia surgery on Dec. 25 and phrenic nerve blocks on Dec. 27 (right) and Dec. 29 (left).
• Surgeon Cláudio Birolini told reporters the team will evaluate results and potential complications over at least 48 hours and is working with the hypothesis of discharge around Jan. 1 if the course remains stable.
• The medical team has described the hiccups as persistent and rare, often linked to prior abdominal surgery or gastrointestinal disease; Bolsonaro has chronic issues following his 2018 stabbing.
• Carlos Bolsonaro reported that his father is adapting to a sleep‑apnea device, shows digestive recovery, and has iron levels under monitoring, and after discharge he is expected to return to Federal Police custody.