Argentina’s President-Elect Is Recovering
President-elect Fernando de la Rua will spend a few more days in the hospital, although his condition is improving after a lung operation, his doctors said Saturday.
De la Rua, scheduled to be sworn in Dec. 10 for a four-year term, was hospitalized Friday suffering from pain.
Doctors found that he had pneumothorax, a condition in which air escapes from a lung and collects in the chest cavity. On Friday, doctors made a tiny incision in De la Rua’s right lung and inserted a small tube to release the accumulated air.
If untreated, pneumothorax can cause a partial or complete collapse of the lung. It is a common problem among smokers like De la Rua.
“De la Rua’s condition is favorable. He had a quiet night,” said Dr. Jorge Salvador Edo at the hospital where the president-elect was being treated. He said De la Rua was recovering well and eating normally.
One of De la Rua’s aides, Dr. Hector Lombardo, said Saturday that the president-elect will probably be sent home Monday or Tuesday.
De la Rua, the mayor of Buenos Aires, defeated Gov. Eduardo Duhalde of Buenos Aires province in an Oct. 24 election.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
