Brazil’s jailed former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has undergone a third medical procedure over four days to treat persistent hiccups.

Doctors performed a third operation to block his phrenic nerve. The nerve is found in the neck and vital in controlling the diaphragm – which controls breathing.

The former president’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, shared a statement on social media confirming her husband underwent a third procedure because the hiccups “had not stopped’ since the weekend.

The far-right leader is serving a 27-year sentence after plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election.

Bolsonaro’s medical team said he would undergo further testing on Wednesday to determine where he had gastroesphageal reflux. This occurs when stomach acid flows back up into the throat and causes heartburn.

The two hiccup operations on Saturday and Monday treated Bolsonaro’s right and left phrenic nerves.

Doctors said on Tuesday they did not “believe the hospitalisation will be prolonged much longer”.

His wife, Michelle, said the ex-president’s surgeries follow “nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups”.

Bolsonaro, 70, was originally admitted to hospital in the capital, Brasília, to undergo a successful double hernia surgery on Christmas Day. He was due to leave hospital on 1 January if his recovery went well.

Brazil’s Supreme Court allowed the jailed ex-president to be transferred from police headquarters where he is serving his sentence to hospital.

Prior to his hernia surgery, the former president underwent intestinal surgery in April.

Bolsonaro served as president of Brazil between 2019 and 2023. He lost the 2022 election to Brazil’s current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

A man stabbed Bolsonaro in his abdomen at a campaign rally one month before the 2018 election, requiring surgery due to extensive blood loss. The stabbing has led to ongoing health issues for the far-right figure.

He endorsed his son Flávio Bolsonaro to run against Lula in the 2026 presidential election.