Ariel Sharon is breathing on his own at the moment, one of the first steps in the awakening process.
Senior physicians treating Ariel Sharon at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem, said Monday that the prime minister had begun breathing on his own after his sedation was reduced but that his condition remains critical and he was still hooked up to a respirator.
The level of sedation is to be reduced gradually to gauge Sharon’s responsiveness and the extent to which the 77-year-old leader’s faculties have been impaired. The process could take hours or even days.
“The prime minister started immediately to breathe on his own but he’s still hooked up to a respirator,” Hadassah Hospital director Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef said Monday morning.
Physicians were likely to gradually reduce the activity of the respirator, to gauge the extent that the prime minister was capable of maintaining his respiration rate independently, one specialist said.
I stress that I am not a doctor, but it must be a good thing that he immediately began breathing on his own.
Unfortunately, while this does imply that his brainstem [controls reflexes such as breathing] is intact, which is a good thing, it doesn’t tell us about higher functions such as conciousness or ability to communicate. Any positive sign is good and hopefully signs of higher functions will be announced soon.