Sharon Medical Update - Urgent - Prime Minister Rushed Back Into Surgery
YNet reports that Prime Minister Sharon has been rushed back into surgery after a CT scan revealed more bleeding in his brain. Aides and family have been rushed to the hospital.
UPDATE 1: (2:42am PST) Israeli newspapers are grim. JPost: Sharon's condition deteriorates. Ha'aretz explains that the plan was to keep him sedated, but they had to do emergency surgery.
UPDATE 2: (2:45am PST) Channel 10 is explaining that there was new pressure that the doctors had to relieve.
UPDATE 3: (2:46am PST) Hospital Director: "new CT scan discovered changes in his brain chemistry... This was coupled with fluctuations in the PM's blood pressure... The surgery is meant to stabilize the blood pressure and relieve the pressure on the brain." He refused to take questions.
UPDATE 4: (2:54am PST) Channel 10's doctor: "this pressure can kill... they can't stop the bleeding... this may be over in a couple of hours"
UPDATE 5: (3:00am PST) Channel 10 cutting to the hospital: "... more and more aides are arriving at the hospital... they want to be next to the operating room... his two sons are here, Gilad and Omri... there is a chance that [someone - a Chief Rabbi] will arrive at the hospital to lead a prayer..."
UPDATE 6: (3:02am PST) Channel's 10 commentator: "the surgery wasn't because more damage was being done [this is silly...] but just to fight over what was left un-damaged... this isn't going to fix anything... the aides are there because, they told me, because they prefer to be there - together - than alone in the empty Prime Minister office..."
UPDATE 7: (3:13am PST) They're replaying the interview from the hospital. In between, there are interviews where everyone's agreeing that it's not the time to be interviewed. There is not supposed to be another update until this new surgery is complete.
UPDATE 8: (3:14am PST) Another doctor: "this was small bleeding, but it's such a bad sign that there's still bleeding that, if this was a normal person they would have given up by now [just like we heard last night]..."
UPDATE 9: (3:15am PST) Yet another Channel 10 doctor: "the dominant hemisphere of the PM's brain was not damaged the first time... not it looks like it might get damaged... that's why he was rushed to surgery..."
UPDATE 10: (3:18am PST) "How far away are we from the PM being declared permanently incapable, and Olmert officially taking over the office" "No one wants to say it, but we're very close"
UPDATE 11: (3:21am PST) From some doctor at the hospital: "... the second that there's bleeding in the brain, there's increased pressure... it looks like that's what happened here... you can't allow the pressure... they're using a tube to drain the brain and decrease the pressure... when the pressure drops, they're going to try to stop the bleeding again..."
UPDATE 12: (3:22am PST) "This surgery could last two or three hours... normally the length of a surgery doesn't tell us anything, it's a technical matter... but there was so much damage the first time... it's impossible to permit oneself to think this way, but... I don't want to say it... if this wasn't a PM, they would have given up already"
UPDATE 13: (3:25am PST) There is literally no one who is talking except in a way that implies we're seeing the final hours of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's life.
UPDATE 1: (2:42am PST) Israeli newspapers are grim. JPost: Sharon's condition deteriorates. Ha'aretz explains that the plan was to keep him sedated, but they had to do emergency surgery.
UPDATE 2: (2:45am PST) Channel 10 is explaining that there was new pressure that the doctors had to relieve.
UPDATE 3: (2:46am PST) Hospital Director: "new CT scan discovered changes in his brain chemistry... This was coupled with fluctuations in the PM's blood pressure... The surgery is meant to stabilize the blood pressure and relieve the pressure on the brain." He refused to take questions.
UPDATE 4: (2:54am PST) Channel 10's doctor: "this pressure can kill... they can't stop the bleeding... this may be over in a couple of hours"
UPDATE 5: (3:00am PST) Channel 10 cutting to the hospital: "... more and more aides are arriving at the hospital... they want to be next to the operating room... his two sons are here, Gilad and Omri... there is a chance that [someone - a Chief Rabbi] will arrive at the hospital to lead a prayer..."
UPDATE 6: (3:02am PST) Channel's 10 commentator: "the surgery wasn't because more damage was being done [this is silly...] but just to fight over what was left un-damaged... this isn't going to fix anything... the aides are there because, they told me, because they prefer to be there - together - than alone in the empty Prime Minister office..."
UPDATE 7: (3:13am PST) They're replaying the interview from the hospital. In between, there are interviews where everyone's agreeing that it's not the time to be interviewed. There is not supposed to be another update until this new surgery is complete.
UPDATE 8: (3:14am PST) Another doctor: "this was small bleeding, but it's such a bad sign that there's still bleeding that, if this was a normal person they would have given up by now [just like we heard last night]..."
UPDATE 9: (3:15am PST) Yet another Channel 10 doctor: "the dominant hemisphere of the PM's brain was not damaged the first time... not it looks like it might get damaged... that's why he was rushed to surgery..."
UPDATE 10: (3:18am PST) "How far away are we from the PM being declared permanently incapable, and Olmert officially taking over the office" "No one wants to say it, but we're very close"
UPDATE 11: (3:21am PST) From some doctor at the hospital: "... the second that there's bleeding in the brain, there's increased pressure... it looks like that's what happened here... you can't allow the pressure... they're using a tube to drain the brain and decrease the pressure... when the pressure drops, they're going to try to stop the bleeding again..."
UPDATE 12: (3:22am PST) "This surgery could last two or three hours... normally the length of a surgery doesn't tell us anything, it's a technical matter... but there was so much damage the first time... it's impossible to permit oneself to think this way, but... I don't want to say it... if this wasn't a PM, they would have given up already"
UPDATE 13: (3:25am PST) There is literally no one who is talking except in a way that implies we're seeing the final hours of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's life.
