Monday, January 09, 2006

Coming Out

Sharon is being brought out of his induced coma slowly and is already showing signs of improvement. Reportedly, he was able to breathe on his own and was able to move his right hand. These are good signs, although it is too soon to tell the condition of his mental faculties. [A guide to Sharon's medical condition.]

This is Sharon's moment of truth according to Ynetnews.com. I think it's more like a moment of truth. Even if Sharon recovers from his massive stroke, it's a long haul before he'd even regain a portion of his faculties. And doctors are trying to manage expectations:
Reports on Sharon's condition are "too optimistic," senior sources at Hadassah who are familiar with the situation told Ynet Sunday evening.

An optimistic interview with one of Sharon's surgeons, Dr. Jose Cohen, described the prime minister's condition "in a manner that can lead to interpretations that the PM's condition is better than what it is in reality," one source said.

Another senior source at the hospital addressed the prime minister's prospects for recovery and said: "The improvement detected is an x-ray improvement, and until we find the clinical equivalent it's too early to express optimism."

"The improvement (Hadassah Director) Professor Mor Yosef spoke about referred to the image received by the CT scan and shows the brain's structure, but not its functioning," the source said. "Only once the effects of sedation are gone will we be able to perform neurological tests, and only they can attest to the extent of damage."

Sharon’s condition remains serious but stable, and the latest CT scan conducted on him has indicated improvement.
Mere Rhetoric is posting near-live updates. Meryl Yourish has some further thoughts on Sharon's condition, and an unconfirmed report that even Hamas is looking to delay the Palestinian elections until they see an outcome on Sharon's health status. She more or less dismisses the report, as Sharon's health status doesn't change the reality of the Palestinian political situation, which is to say in even worse condition than Sharon's current health status.

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