Bolsonaro Has Surgery to End Persistent Hiccups
Bolsonaro Has Surgery to End Persistent Hiccups
LN24 / 37 minutes
December 27, 2025
1 min read
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro underwent a surgical procedure on Saturday aimed at relieving chronic hiccups, according to a statement from his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, shared on social media.
Doctors later explained that the treatment involved blocking the right phrenic nerve, with plans to perform a similar procedure on the left nerve within 48 hours. The phrenic nerve, which originates in the neck, plays a crucial role in controlling the diaphragm and breathing.
Bolsonaro, who is 70, had been admitted to hospital earlier in the week for hernia surgery. Last September, Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted him of plotting to overturn the results of the 2022 election and sentenced him to 27 years in prison. He was temporarily allowed to leave prison for medical treatment following a request from his legal team and approval by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
While hospitalized, Bolsonaro released a statement backing his son Flavio Bolsonaro’s potential bid for the presidency in 2026.
The former leader has experienced ongoing health issues since being stabbed during a campaign event in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, in September 2018. Since that attack, he has undergone multiple abdominal surgeries.
