Medical team brings updates on Lula's clinical status: “neurologically perfect”

Having undergone two surgeries within two days, Lula has a “neurologically perfect”said Dr. Marcos Stavale, at a press conference, this Thursday morning (12). The medical team performed an embolization of the middle meningeal artery, a procedure to reduce the risk of further bleeding. Lasting about an hour, Roberto Kalil Filho, the president's doctor specializing in cardiology, updated the surgical chart. “The procedure was a success. The President is awake, speaking.”

Endovascular procedure: middle meningeal artery embolization

Minimally invasive, the middle meningeal artery embolization intervention is a procedure to block the blood flow of a cerebral artery and the recurrence of subdural hematomas, like the one Lula had after a domestic fall in Brasília. It is used to treat the growth of blood accumulation between the brain and cranial region, reducing the risk of future bleeding.

Using a catheter introduced through the femoral artery, in the groin, or through the radial artery, in the arm, doctors “navigate” until reaching the middle meningeal artery, located in the skull, to block blood flow using real-time images. “It's like a catheterization… Because when you drain a hematoma there is a small possibility that, in the future, the small meningeal arteries will still cause a small amount of bleeding”explained Roberto Kalil Filho.

_{President Lula (Photo: reproduction Hugo Barreto/Metrópoles)}

Recovery

With no consequences, the discharge, scheduled for next week, is under evaluation by the responsible doctors. “He will remain under observation for another 48 hours. As I said, he is fine, eating, conscious, normal. It's more of a precaution”, Kalil said.

For now, the president remains in the ICU, with visits restricted to family members and a gradual return to his work schedule. The team also recommended absolute rest, without physical activity for a few weeks.

Featured photo: Roberto Kalil, President Lula's cardiologist (Reproduction/Sam Pancher/Metrópoles)