Brazil

Brazil's President Lula undergoes emergency brain surgery

The leftist leader, 79, is recovering in the ICU after undergoing surgery for an intracranial hemorrhage, according to e medical note published on his social media Tuesday.

06 December 2024, Uruguay, Montevideo: The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (M), at the Mercosur Summit.
Santiago Mazzarovich/picture alliance via Getty Images

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has undergone emergency surgery to drain a bleed on his brain.

The leftist leader, 79, underwent the procedure after an MRI scan showed an “intracranial hemorrhage,” according to an Associated Press translation of a medical note published on his official X account Tuesday.

The surgery was successful and Lula is “well” and currently being monitored in the intensive care unit of Sirio Libanes hospital in Sao Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, a translation of the medical note said. He was transferred from the capital Brasilia, where on Monday he had an MRI scan, it added.

Earlier this year, Lula fell at home and was left with a cut visible on the back of his head, just above his neck. Doctors believe the two incidents are linked, according to a translation of the hospital’s medical report.

That earlier accident forced Lula to cancel his planned trip for the 2024 BRICS summit in Kazan, a city in southwest Russia, according to a statement from his office at the time.

A news conference will be held Tuesday by doctors to provide further details, according to the statement.

Brazilian Labor Minister Luiz Marinho was one of the first to publicly reach out to the president, wishing him a swift and full recovery on social media platform X Tuesday morning.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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