Sharon sedated and on respirator to recover from ‘severe trauma’

ARIEL SHARON could be sedated for up to 72 hours following emergency surgery for a massive stroke, hospital officials said yesterday.

Dr Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director general of Hadassah Hospital, said Mr Sharon would remain in deep sedation and on a respirator to “recover from severe trauma.”

The treatment would decrease pressure in Mr Sharon’s skull, and after the sedation period, doctors hope to gradually wake him, he said.

Mr Sharon, fighting for his life after seven hours of emergency surgery, was in serious but stable condition last night. His pupils were responding to stimulation.

However, outside doctors said chances of recovery were slim, especially because of the length of the surgery.

Professor Gabi Barabash, the director of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, said it could take at least a week after Mr Sharon emerges from sedation before the extent of his brain damage can be assessed.