Docs easing Sharon out of coma

2006-01-11 19:19

Jerusalem - Ariel Sharon's doctors hoped on Wednesday to remove the prime minister from all remaining sedatives after he moved his left hand for the first time.

But, hospital officials cautioned against being overly optimistic about his chances for recovery from a massive stroke.

Although doctors said Sharon, 77, was no longer in immediate danger, they said it would be days before they could determine the full extent of the damage caused by a brain haemorrhage.

Amid the signs of progress, some Israeli media raised new questions about whether doctors' decision to give Sharon blood thinners after a mild stroke on December 18 caused last week's haemorrhage.

Hadassah Hospital officials defended their treatment of the prime minister.

With Sharon's life out of danger, Israel's political system kicked back into action on Wednesday after virtually grinding to a halt for the past week.

Slowly returning to normal

Officials in Sharon's Kadima Party tossed around the idea of giving him the top spot on the party's list in upcoming elections, while keeping acting prime minister Ehud Olmert as its candidate for premier.

Although the proposal appeared unlikely to survive, it was a sign that the situation was slowly returning to normal.

As doctors continued to wean Sharon off sedatives on Wednesday, Dr Yair Birenboim, a senior official at Hadassah Hospital, said it was too early to express optimism.

"We are pleased there are small phases of development in the prime minister's condition," he told Army Radio.

Doctors began withdrawing the sedatives this week to ease him from an induced coma, and hoped to complete the process on Wednesday.

Sharon was halfway through the treatment, Birenboim said, but emphasised it could be reversed at any point.

Ending the sedation is a key step toward determining the extent of Sharon's damage.

He underwent three brain operations to halt bleeding in his right brain after the January 4 stroke.

Israel Radio said it would take 36 hours for the drugs to leave Sharon's system. But hospital spokesperson Ron Krumer said it was impossible to give a precise timetable.

Doctors began decreasing the sedatives on Monday, and Sharon started breathing on his own and moved his right arm and leg slightly in response to pain stimulation.

Final assessment still to come

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 hospital's director.

Dr Yoram Weiss, one of Sharon's anaesthesiologists, said on Tuesday Sharon remained in a critical, but stable, condition and had a decent chance of surviving.

Once the sedatives wear off, doctors can make a final assessment of brain damage.

Then a decision will have to be made about whether Sharon can one day return to his post or whether a replacement must be named.

- AP