[lbo-talk] Neurological expert: Sharon's chances of surviving are slim

[Bryan Atinsky]

Neurological expert: Sharon's chances of surviving are slim
By Tamara Traubman and Ran Reznick, Haaretz Correspondents

The chances of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon surviving the massive stroke 
and cerebral hemorrhage he suffered Wednesday are very slim, a top 
neurosurgeon and expert in the field said Thursday, adding that this had 
been the case from the moment that the hemorrhaging began.

The neurosurgeon's observations were based on his own experience, and 
not on the details of the prime minister's specific state, which was 
unavailable in its entirety.

According to the expert, Sharon has a "very poor" chance of survival.

Sharon underwent prolonged surgery overnight to stop widespread bleeding 
in the brain. After surgery, he was moved to the intensive care unit, 
where he has been placed in "deep sedation," Hadassah University 
Hospital director Shlomo Mor-Yosef said Thursday.

Sharon emerged from hours of surgery Thursday morning with vital signs 
showing "functional and stable" levels, and with a CT scan showing that 
the bleeding in his brain had been halted. But, Mor-Yosef said, the 
prime minister's condition remains grave.

PM taken by ambulance from Negev ranch
Sharon arrived at the hospital by ambulance from his Sycamore Ranch in 
the Negev, a drive of more than an hour, and was taken into the 
emergency room, where he had been scheduled to undergo a cardiac 
catheterization Thursday afternoon.

Channel One television reported Thursday morning that Sharon at first 
resisted efforts to take him to hospital, insisting that he felt well 
enough to remain at home.

Once Sharon arrived at the hospital, it became clear that the severity 
of his condition necessitated general anesthesia, and Maimon and Mazuz 
decided they had no choice but to transfer Sharon's powers to Olmert. 
Sharon had finished working at 3 P.M. Wednesday and traveled to his 
ranch. He was supposed to have begun fasting at midnight, ahead of the 
heart procedure.

A medical team gathered around Sharon, who was accompanied by his son 
Omri, as he came out of the ambulance, and witnesses said he was brought 
into the hospital on a stretcher.

Meanwhile, there was debate in Israeli media Thursday over Sharon's 
evacuation. Some commentators argued that Sharon should have been taken 
to hospital in Be'er Sheva, a much shorter distance from his ranch, or 
airlifted by helicopter rather than evacuated by ambulance.

Sharon, 77, was to have undergone a cardiac catheterization procedure 
scheduled for Thursday afternoon. It was intended to close a small hole 
between the upper chambers of Sharon's heart, detected when he suffered 
a mild stroke last month.

He was to have been put under general anesthesia during the operation, 
and his authority would have rested with Olmert for about three hours.