Sharon's operation 'a success'

2006-01-15 21:35

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a successful tracheotomy on Sunday evening at the Jerusalem hospital where he has spent the past 11 days in a coma, the hospital said.

Hadassah hospital spokesperson Ron Krumer said: "The operation was carried out with success and the prime minister has been immediately taken back to the neuro-surgical unit.

"The brain scan which was also carried out on Sunday showed no change," said the spokesperson, without being able to give more details.

Earlier, the 77-year-old's chief surgeon said that the tracheotomy, which involves inserting a tube into a patient's windpipe, would help clean the patient's lungs and stressed it was not a sign that his condition was worsening.

"A tracheotomy is not a bad sign because it improves the cleaning of the lungs," Felix Umansky told AFP.

"When we believe a patient is going to be intubated (fed and respirated by a tube) for longer than 10 days, it is convenient" to carry out a tracheotomy.

"There is no reason to be pessimistic. We are not giving Ariel Sharon enough time to recover, we must be patient. It is a long process."

Sharon was rushed to hospital on January 4 after having a massive brain haemorrhage.

His deputy Ehud Olmert has taken charge on an interim basis ahead of Israel's general election on March 28.

Doctors, who are now trying to bring Sharon out of the coma, have privately said it would take little short of a miracle for the prime minister to recover enough to return to his job.

- AFP