Sharon to undergo heart procedure

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will undergo a catheterisation procedure in the next two or three weeks to repair a small hole in his heart that apparently led to a minor stroke, his doctors said today.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will undergo a catheterisation procedure in the next two or three weeks to repair a small hole in his heart that apparently led to a minor stroke, his doctors said today.

Dr Haim Lotem, head of cardiology at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital, said the hole, measuring 1 to 2 millimetres, was a minor birth defect found in 15% to 25% of the general population.

He said doctors planned to use a catheter allowing them to insert an “umbrella-like” device that seals the hole, located in the partition wall between the upper chambers of Sharon’s heart.

The procedure, guided by a small camera inserted through the oesophagus, was routine, doctors said.

Sharon would be partially sedated during the treatment, when he would be given a mild anaesthetic to relax muscles, they said. Patients undergoing such catheterisation retain consciousness.

The hole was detected during tests following Sharon’s stroke on December 18.

Doctors concluded the blood clot that caused the stroke passed through the hole and lodged in a cranial blood vessel, briefly restricting the flow of blood to his brain.

Sharon is now having the blood-thinning medication Clexan injected twice a day until he undergoes the heart procedure, Dr Lotem said.

“From our experience this is something that is only a minor birth defect. It doesn’t need to be treated unless it causes problems,” he said.

Although Sharon had difficulty speaking during the stroke, neurological testing found he recalled everything from the night of his admission, said Dr Tamir Ben-Hur, neurology chief at Hadassah.

Doctors said last week that Sharon suffered no lasting damage. He was released from the hospital two days after the stroke and has already resumed his full work load.

But the health scare has raised concerns about the 77-year-old leader’s ability to work as he runs for a third term. Doctors met reporters today following public pressure that Sharon’s health records be made public.

Opinion polls taken after the stroke have shown Sharon remains the front-runner in the March 28 election.

Doctors have ordered the overweight prime minister, a self-admitted food lover, to go on diet. Seeking to head off widespread speculation, Sharon’s doctors said he weighed 260lb (18.6 stone) at the time of the stroke, and has already lost 5lb since then.

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