After a strong last week, the former president was . On Saturday (27), the right phrenic nerve was blocked and the intervention on the left side should take place this Monday (29).
The forecast, according to the DF Star hospital, where Bolsonaro is hospitalized, is that the left blockade will be carried out in the early afternoon.
What is the phrenic nerve
There are two phrenic nerves, one on each side of the body. They originate in the cervical region and descend to the diaphragm, a muscle located in the chest used in breathing.
The phrenic nerve is primarily responsible for controlling the diaphragm. Hiccups are caused by involuntary and repeated contractions of the diaphragm, causing the glottis (the “lid” of the larynx, which regulates the passage of air through the lungs) to close and generating the characteristic sound.
How does a phrenic nerve block work?
Medically blocking this nerve — carried out with the local application of anesthetic and, optionally, other medications — temporarily interrupts the nerve impulses that are causing the diaphragm to spasm.
The procedure is used in severe cases of persistent hiccups that do not improve with medication. According to Bolsonaro’s medical team, the measure was adopted after a high dose of medication, which had been taking daily for months.
The block is not a surgery. With the patient sedated, the nerve is located using an ultrasound. Then, a puncture is performed, through which the anesthetic is applied — and, in the case of the former president, also a corticosteroid medication, to prolong the effects of the intervention.
What are the risks of the procedure
As the diaphragm is involved in breathing, both the patient’s heart rate and blood oxygenation level are monitored during and after the procedure. Also for this reason, blocking is carried out in two stages, avoiding unwanted impact.
According to interventional radiologist Mateus Saldanha, who performed the procedure on Bolsonaro, the occurrence of shortness of breath could be one of the side effects of the procedure.
“By blocking the diaphragm, abdominal pressure can rise and compress the chest cavity,” explained the doctor at a press conference on Saturday.
Furthermore, there is a risk that, inadvertently, instead of blocking the phrenic nerve, the medication reaches the branchial plexus, the nerve network that controls the upper limbs, affecting the movements of the hands and arms.
What is the deadline for medical discharge
It is not possible to know with certainty the date of medical discharge before carrying out the procedure. The forecast, however, is that the patient will remain under observation for at least 48 hours after the blockade, according to Claudio Birolini, a surgeon who is part of the former president’s medical team.
Therefore, if the evolution of Bolsonaro’s condition is satisfactory, he should leave the hospital on Wednesday (31).
Afterwards, he will return to the prison of the Superintendency of the No, in Brasília, where.
The former president frequently undergoes medical procedures due to the stab wound he suffered during the 2018 election campaign. In April of this year, for example, the politician underwent a .
