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Doctors say Sharon out of immediate danger
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-11 08:34 Dr. Anthony Rudd, a stroke specialist at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, said
giving blood thinners to a person suffering from the brain disease "certainly
wouldn't be standard procedure," but it was a judgment call and indicated his
doctors believed the hole in his heart was more of a risk than a brain
hemorrhage.
"I'm sure that the decisions they made were made in good faith based on the
information they had," he said.
On Monday, doctors began decreasing the sedatives that have kept Sharon in a
coma, and he started breathing on his own and moved his right arm and leg
slightly in response to stimulation. On Tuesday, he increased his movement on
the right side and also moved his left arm in response to stimulation, said Dr.
Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Hadassah Hospital.
Movement on Sharon's left side could be significant because that part of the
body is controlled by the right side of the brain, where Sharon's stroke
occurred.
Rudd called the news "surprising."
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon peers
through his glasses during a press conference in January 2005.
[AFP/file] | "It's certainly better than what I
would have predicted so far. Based on the fact that he had a large hemorrhage in
the right side of the brain, I would have predicted advanced paralysis," he
said.
Sharon's sons were playing Mozart as well as one of his favorite Israeli
songs, "The King's Bride," by folk singer Rivka Zohar, in his hospital room in
hopes it would elicit a further response.
Sharon remained in critical but stable condition and had a decent chance of
surviving, Weiss said. "Metaphorically speaking, we have backed off five yards
from the edge of the cliff," he said.
Over the next 24 hours, the doctors will continue decreasing Sharon's
sedatives and conducting tests to further assess his brain functions. A final
assessment would have to wait until the sedatives completely wear off, possibly
several days, said Weiss, the anesthesiologist.
"There is improvement, but we still can't know the extent of the cognitive
improvement," Weiss said. "We simply need patience."
A final medical analysis of Sharon's long-term prognosis would end
uncertainty over the fate of the prime minister, heralded by many as the best
hope for Mideast peace. Doctors were doubtful he would recover enough to resume
his duties.
Olmert has worked hard to portray an aura of stability. His first major test
is resolving the dispute over whether to allow Palestinians to vote in Jerusalem
during Jan. 25 parliamentary elections.
Olmert's office said the Cabinet would decide Sunday whether to let the
city's Arab residents cast absentee ballots in post offices provided no
candidates from the militant Hamas group were on the ballot.
The campaign for Israel's March 28 elections has been largely frozen since
Sharon's stroke. An assessment of Sharon's condition could enable his new Kadima
Party to select a successor and start campaigning. Olmert is seen as the most
likely heir.
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