Sharon's condition worsens
The condition of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma since suffering a stroke in January, has deteriorated, though there was no immediate danger to his life, according to hospital officials and former aides.
Sharon, 78, was having a problem with his kidneys at Sheba Medical Centre in the Tel Aviv suburb of Tel Hashomer, hospital officials said Sunday. They also said brain checks had shown changes in Sharon’s brain tissue, but gave no further details.
“Over the past two days, the condition of the former prime minister has deteriorated. His kidney function is worsening and he’s amassing liquids in his body,” the hospital said in a statement.
Two of Sharon’s former aides, who said they spoke to his son Gilad, said there was no immediate danger to the former leader’s life.
Hospital officials confirmed by phone that Sharon’s kidney function was worsening, that his body was accumulating liquids and that his brain tissue had undergone changes. They said doctors were conducting additional checks to determine what caused the change in his condition and how to treat him.
Israel’s Army Radio cited medical experts as saying this type of deterioration is not uncommon for people who have been in a coma for such a long time.
Today, Dr. John Martin, a cardiovascular expert at London’s University College, said physicians with Sharon should consider whether to further treat him or allow him to die.
The kidney failure and the changes in the brain membrane that Sharon has suffered in the past two days indicate the former leader’s life is in danger, said Martin.
He said kidney dialysis and drugs to treat what appears to be cerebral edema could lead to an improvement in Sharon’s condition within hours, but that many physicians would choose not to take such steps when a patient has been in a coma for more than seven months.
“This is a significant decrease in his condition,” Martin said. “Shall we give dialysis or shall we let him die? … Most European physicians would consider this at this point.”
Sharon, Israel’s most popular politician, had a small stroke in December and was put on blood thinners before he suffered a severe brain haemorrhage in January. The Israeli leader underwent several, extensive brain surgeries to stop the bleeding, and many independent experts doubted that he would ever recover.
The last surgery on Sharon, in April, was to reattach a part of his skull, removed during the emergency surgery to reduce pressure on his brain. The reattachment was described as a necessary step before transferring Sharon to a long-term care facility.
Experts have said Sharon’s chances of ever waking up after his massive stroke in January are not good.
Sharon personified Israel’s military might for decades, and Israelis were stunned to see him felled by illness.
His stroke came after Sharon saw through his contentious plan to withdrawal Israel from the Gaza Strip after 38 years, and just two months after Sharon shook up the Israeli political map by bolting his hard-line Likud Party to form the centrist Kadima faction.
With Sharon as its leader, Kadima was expected to easily win Israeli elections. After the stroke, Sharon’s successor as party leader, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, led Kadima to a slim victory in a March 28 vote.
