Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro undergoes third operation for hiccups

Imprisoned former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro underwent a third medical procedure in four days to treat persistent hiccups.

Doctors performed a third operation to block his phrenic nerve. The nerve is found in the neck and is essential for controlling the diaphragm, which controls breathing.

The former president’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, shared a statement on social media confirming that her husband underwent a third procedure because the hiccups “hadn’t stopped” since the weekend.

The far-right leader is serving a 27-year prison sentence after plotting a coup aimed at overturning the 2022 elections.

Bolsonaro’s medical team said he would undergo additional tests on Wednesday to determine where he was suffering from gastroesphagian reflux. This happens when stomach acid backs up into the throat and causes heartburn.

The two hiccup operations, Saturday and Monday, treated Bolsonaro’s right and left phrenic nerves.

Doctors said Tuesday that they do not “believe the hospitalization will extend much longer.”

His wife, Michelle, said the ex-president’s surgeries followed “nine months of struggle and anguish with daily setbacks.”

Bolsonaro, 70, was initially admitted to hospital in the capital, Brasilia, to undergo a successful double hernia operation on Christmas Day. He was due to leave the hospital on January 1 if his recovery went well.

The Supreme Court of Brazil authorized the imprisonment of the ex-president be transferred from the police station where he is serving his sentence to the hospital.

Before his hernia operation, the former president underwent intestinal surgery in April.

Bolsonaro served as President of Brazil between 2019 and 2023. He lost the 2022 elections to current Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

A man stabbed Bolsonaro in the abdomen during a campaign rally a month before the 2018 election, requiring surgery due to significant blood loss. The stabbing led to ongoing health problems for the far-right figure.

He supported the candidacy of his son Flávio Bolsonaro against Lula in the 2026 presidential election.