Ariel Sharon to have tracheotomy
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to undergo a tracheotomy within the next few hours to help to wean him off a respirator, hospital officials say.
In the procedure, doctors will cut a small hole in his neck to insert a tube into his windpipe.
Doctors are trying to wake Mr Sharon from a medically induced coma, 10 days after he suffered a massive stroke.
Tests have shown activity on both sides of Mr Sharon’s brain. His condition is said to be serious but stable.
The prime minister is also expected to undergo another brain scan on Sunday.
Doctors have said Mr Sharon needs a tracheotomy because the plastic tube currently connecting the prime minister’s windpipe with the respirator will start to cause him damage if it remains in for too long, the Associated Press reports.
Source: BBC, Associated Press.
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