Bolsonaro hospitalized in ICU with bacterial bronchopneumonia
Brazil's former president admitted to intensive care in Brasilia after developing high fever, vomiting, and low oxygen levels overnight.
4:29 PM
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to the intensive care unit at Hospital DF Star in Brasilia on Friday after presenting with high fever, vomiting, and a drop in blood oxygen saturation during the early morning hours.
Medical tests including imaging and laboratory analysis confirmed bilateral bacterial bronchopneumonia of probable aspirative origin, according to a hospital statement. Bolsonaro experienced chills, sweating, and vomiting overnight before being transferred to the facility.
The hospital statement said Bolsonaro is receiving intravenous antibiotic therapy and non-invasive clinical support. His son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, told reporters at the hospital that the accumulation of fluid in the lungs was the most severe of Bolsonaro's previous hospitalizations at the facility, though he provided no timeline for discharge.
Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence. He had undergone bilateral inguinal hernia surgery late last year, followed by an endoscopy that revealed persistent esophagitis and gastritis. After that hospitalization, he returned to the Federal Police Superintendency before being transferred to the Papudinha detention facility.
Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued orders regarding Bolsonaro's hospitalization. The justice authorized visits from his wife Michelle Bolsonaro and his children Flávio, Carlos, Jair Renan, Laura, and stepdaughter Letícia Firmo da Silva. However, electronic devices including cellphones and computers are prohibited during visits.
Moraes also ordered the Military Police of the Federal District to maintain a minimum of two officers at the door of Bolsonaro's hospital room 24 hours a day. The Custody Nucleus of the 19th Battalion of the Military Police was assigned responsibility for security and surveillance of Bolsonaro during his hospitalization, with standby teams maintained inside and outside the hospital.
Bronchopneumonia is an acute inflammation affecting internal lung structures including the bronchioles, bronchi, and alveoli. When bacteria enter the respiratory tract, the alveoli fill with mucus, pus, and infected fluid, which impairs oxygen exchange. The condition is treated with antibiotics.
On the same day as Bolsonaro's hospitalization, President Luiz Inácio Lula attended the inauguration of a new trauma sector at Hospital Federal do Andaraí in Rio de Janeiro. At the event, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Municipal Health Secretary Daniel Soranz criticized Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, identified as a pre-candidate for the presidency, for his role in controlling contracts at federal hospital units during his father's administration when the facilities underwent deterioration. Flávio Bolsonaro's press office did not respond to requests for comment on the criticism.