Doctors say Sharon out of immediate danger
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-11 08:34

Dr. Anthony Rudd, a stroke specialist at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, said giving blood thinners to a person suffering from the brain disease "certainly wouldn't be standard procedure," but it was a judgment call and indicated his doctors believed the hole in his heart was more of a risk than a brain hemorrhage.

"I'm sure that the decisions they made were made in good faith based on the information they had," he said.

On Monday, doctors began decreasing the sedatives that have kept Sharon in a coma, and he started breathing on his own and moved his right arm and leg slightly in response to stimulation. On Tuesday, he increased his movement on the right side and also moved his left arm in response to stimulation, said Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Hadassah Hospital.

Movement on Sharon's left side could be significant because that part of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain, where Sharon's stroke occurred.

Rudd called the news "surprising."

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon peers through his glasses during a press conference in January 2005. [AFP/file]

"It's certainly better than what I would have predicted so far. Based on the fact that he had a large hemorrhage in the right side of the brain, I would have predicted advanced paralysis," he said.

Sharon's sons were playing Mozart as well as one of his favorite Israeli songs, "The King's Bride," by folk singer Rivka Zohar, in his hospital room in hopes it would elicit a further response.

Sharon remained in critical but stable condition and had a decent chance of surviving, Weiss said. "Metaphorically speaking, we have backed off five yards from the edge of the cliff," he said.

Over the next 24 hours, the doctors will continue decreasing Sharon's sedatives and conducting tests to further assess his brain functions. A final assessment would have to wait until the sedatives completely wear off, possibly several days, said Weiss, the anesthesiologist.

"There is improvement, but we still can't know the extent of the cognitive improvement," Weiss said. "We simply need patience."

A final medical analysis of Sharon's long-term prognosis would end uncertainty over the fate of the prime minister, heralded by many as the best hope for Mideast peace. Doctors were doubtful he would recover enough to resume his duties.

Olmert has worked hard to portray an aura of stability. His first major test is resolving the dispute over whether to allow Palestinians to vote in Jerusalem during Jan. 25 parliamentary elections.

Olmert's office said the Cabinet would decide Sunday whether to let the city's Arab residents cast absentee ballots in post offices provided no candidates from the militant Hamas group were on the ballot.

The campaign for Israel's March 28 elections has been largely frozen since Sharon's stroke. An assessment of Sharon's condition could enable his new Kadima Party to select a successor and start campaigning. Olmert is seen as the most likely heir.