Former Brazilian soccer player Roberto Carlos remains under medical observation at a health center in São Paulo after having undergone a highly complex heart surgery.
The 52-year-old Real Madrid and Brazil national team defender had to be urgently admitted after an unexpected finding during a routine medical check-up, which prompted an immediate response from the team of specialists.
The origin of the diagnosis in São Paulo
Roberto Carlos’ health situation was triggered while the sportsman was enjoying a vacation period in his native country with his family. The initial reason for his visit to the hospital was a medical follow-up for a thrombus previously detected in one of his legs.
During the evaluation, he underwent a full-body MRI to get a comprehensive picture of his condition: the results of the study revealed that a high percentage of his heart was failing to function normally, a condition that the doctors described as severe and which led to his immediate hospitalization for emergency surgery.
Details of the procedure and how it evolves
The surgical procedure, centered on the placement of a catheter, presented greater challenges than originally anticipated. Although the medical team estimated that the operation would take about 40 minutes, the procedure was extended by almost three hours due to complications that arose in the operating room.
Despite the length of the process and the complexity of the cardiac condition, the former player was successfully stabilized: after regaining consciousness, Roberto Carlos himself had a brief contact with the Spanish newspaper As, to which he confirmed his improvement with a terse phrase: “Now I’m fine”.
He is currently in the postoperative recovery phase out of immediate danger.
