Brazilian president discharged from hospital following fall and emergency surgery

After undergoing emergency surgery in the early hours of last Tuesday, Brazilian president Lula da Silva was discharged from hospital on Sunday.

The politician's medical team emphasised his speedy recovery, as he was not expected to be discharged until the beginning of next week.

"Due to the recovery of our patient, which was extremely above expectations, then, to the happiness of myself and our entire team, the president has been discharged from hospital," said doctor Ana Helena Germoglio at a press conference.

The President of Brazil himself spoke at the event marking his release from hospital. "I'm in one piece (...) I'm going home," said Lula, guaranteeing that "he's alive, in one piece and more willing to work".

Lula da Silva had emergency surgery to drain a haematoma on his head, which appeared following a fall he suffered at his official resident of the Alvorada Palace last October.

"I was feeling lighter on my feet, my eyes were red and I was very sleepy. When I went to the doctor at six o'clock in the evening, they saw the CT scan and got scared. They asked me to come urgently to São Paulo," explained the Brazilian president, "I was frightened by the volume of fluid in my head," said Lula.

On Thursday morning, the Brazilian president underwent an embolisation - carried out in order to prevent future intracranial haemorrhages.

Despite the early discharge, Lula is expected to remain in São Paulo until Thursday, when a new CT scan will be carried out to assess the 79-year-old politician's clinical condition.

Lula will then be able to return to Brasilia, with a prescription for rest of around 15 days, after which he will be able to resume his work routine.

Cardiologist Roberto Kalil emphasised, however, that the president will have to be careful over the next month. "He will have some restrictions over the next 30 days, such as physical activity and international travel," he said.

Throughout his period of hospitalisation, the Brazilian president has kept Brazil and the world updated on his state of health, making several posts on social media, particularly from the hospital.

The Brazilian leader fell at home at the end of October, suffering a small cerebral haemorrhage and head trauma that required stitches.