Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent a successful operation on his hip along with a procedure to remove excess skin from his eyelids and his recovering in a Brasilia hospital, his doctors said Friday.
The 77-year-old president is expected to begin his recovery later this evening by taking steps with the help of a walker, Dr. Giancarlo Polesello said during a post-operation news conference.
“The procedure went without any complications,” Dr. Roberto Kalil, Lula’s longtime cardiologist, told reporters. “The president is already awake and going to post-anesthetic recovery.”
The pair of operations — a joint replacement and an eyelid procedure known as blepharoplasty — lasted a total of three hours, Kalil said. Lula is expected to remain hospitalized until Tuesday but could be released sooner, according to his doctors.
Lula was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in his hip and part of his femur ahead of last year’s presidential election, but put off the procedure until after the contest.
He has struggled with worsening pain since taking office in January, he said earlier this week, and scheduled the surgery to take place during a gap in a busy international travel schedule.
The joint-replacement procedure on the top of Lula’s right femur replaced affected cartilage and bones with a prosthesis, according to the president’s office. Doctors recommend that he work from home for two to three weeks after leaving the hospital.
Read More: Lula to Undergo Hip Surgery Friday But Hopes for Quick Recovery
Lula said this week that he planned to return to work as quickly as possible, and potentially as soon as Monday.
His next major international trip is scheduled for late November, when he is slated to attend the United Nations’ COP28 climate meetings in Dubai. He plans to travel to Germany after the summit before returning to Brazil.
(Updates with quote from Dr. Roberto Kalil and additional details)
