Sharon Undergoes Emergency Surgery

Doctors removed removed nearly 2 feet of Israeli Primie Minister Ariel Sharon's severely damaged large intestine during emergency surgery Saturday, but there was no immediate threat to the comatose prime minister's life, a hospital official said.

Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital, said doctors removed about 20 inches of Sharon's intestines during a four-hour operation after a scan revealed that the area was damaged. That amounts to about a third of the intestines.

Sharon was in critical but stable condition after the procedure, Mor-Yosef said, adding there was "no immediate danger to his life." Sharon has been comatose at Hadassah since suffering a stroke Jan. 4.

Before the surgery, a hospital spokeswoman had said Sharon's condition had worsened and his life was in danger.

In a CT scan of Sharon's stomach Saturday, doctors discovered poor blood flow had caused serious damage to Sharon's digestive track, and they determined that immediate surgery was neccessary.

Sharon had a feeding tube inserted in his stomach on Feb. 1, an indication that his doctors are thinking in terms of long-term care for the 77-year-old Sharon.

CT scans have been used to assess bleeding and swelling in Sharon's brain. According to past hospital statements, there have been no changes in the results of the scan in recent weeks, but Sharon has failed to regain consciousness.

Sharon suffered a stroke with what was described as "significant" bleeding in his brain a day before he was to check into Hadassah Hospital for a procedure to correct a tiny defect in his heart that was said to have contributed to a mild stroke he suffered two weeks earlier.

Doctors have come under fire from critics who questioned whether Sharon should have been treated with massive doses of anticoagulants after his first stroke, which was caused by a small blood clot in a cranial artery. Doctors admitted that the anticoagulants made it more difficult for them to stop the bleeding from the later hemorrhagic stroke.

The extensive bleeding and the lengthy operations Sharon underwent to stop it have led experts to conclude that he must have suffered severe brain damage and was unlikely to regain consciousness. If he does awaken, most say, the chances of his regaining meaningful cognition or activity are slim.

According to an extensive study on strokes and stoke care by Dr. Jose Biller Dr. Ernesto Fernandez-Beer, quoted in "Best Practice of Medicine, 2004," gastrostomy is indicated for patients "in whom a prolonged phase of recovery is anticipated."

Sharon had set up a new political party, Kadima, just weeks before his strokes, and was planning to lead it in a drive for re-election in March 28 general elections. Polls showed that he was a strong favorite to win.

His close political ally, Ehud Olmert, was named acting prime minister after Sharon's second stroke and is now Kadima's candidate for prime minister. Polls have shown the party maintaining its wide lead under Olmert.