Argentina’s President-Elect Is Recovering
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — 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.
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