Desperate Measures for Stroke Push the Edge of Medical Knowledge

In an extraordinary attempt to save the life of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel, doctors in Jerusalem operated twice on his brain for a total of nearly nine hours, then put him into an anesthesia-induced coma and connected him to a mechanical respirator, his medical team said yesterday.

The measures were desperate and, experts agreed, unlikely to succeed, but they were about all that remained in the effort to save Mr. Sharon's life and to retain as much of his motor functions and intellectual skills as possible after the horrific hemorrhagic stroke he suffered Wednesday.

It was Mr. Sharon's second stroke in less than three weeks. On Dec. 18, a small stroke temporarily impaired his speech but caused no apparent permanent damage.

His doctors said he would need at least 48 hours in a coma, from the time the surgery had ended, before they could gradually awaken him to begin to determine the degree of brain damage. They said they did not plan to try to reverse his coma for several days.

Stroke experts not involved in Mr. Sharon's care said in interviews that, based on the induced coma, the stroke most likely had produced significant swelling of his brain, threatening to impair the centers that control his heart, breathing and other vital functions.

A number of factors play critical roles in whether patients like Mr. Sharon survive strokes and how much function they lose...

He'll never be part of the process. He still might die when he's revived but none expect he will be able to serve.

It's a shame. While not a fan of him at times, I don't like to see anyone suffer this fate.

And if anyone sees Pat Robertson, they should tell him to stuff a sock in it.

..."Sharon is a very important player, implementing brilliant strategies, wheels within wheels, the enemy dancing to his tune. I hate to see him so low"...

It is incredibly sad for him, his family, his friends and the world. However, he is 77 years old. When we go past 60, the odds increase that some kind of physical event will effect the quality of our life. Civilized nations have wonderful medical systems which have done much to lengthen life and prevent suffering but we have not done away with mortality yet. It is so disgusting to hear the occasional news commentator trying to find some human being somewhere to blame for this sad event..He was overweight or his blood thinner caused it (his previous event might have killed him, had he not been given blood thinner..We do not know the details), or he should have been taken to a different hospital closer to his farm, etc., etc. The fact that we have such a hard time grasping is that, often, no one on earth has the ability to save us when it is our time to go. Some medical events are beyond repair. Trial lawyers get rich placing blame for cosmic events. While the sad reality is that we will all suffer and die, sadder, still, is that we refuse to face that reality and instead, place blame when futility sets in. We should be supportive and grateful for the wonderful medical people and others who offers such incredible support in these circumstances..We need the wisdom of men like Sharon and we need them in leadership positions..However, we need to try to be sure that the best possible replacement is in line to take over if the need arises. That is all we can do.

Thanks, people. Most people have no idea of statecraft at Sharon's level. So many people have no idea of what "statecraft" means.

Sharon is finished with this life (his damage is extreme, terminal) except, perhaps, as an "elder statesman" or as an "icon". I will miss him. He rebuilds my hope and belief in the human intellect and spirit. He typifies "Duty, Honor, Country". He will be studied by generations of admirers to come.

Sharon was one heck of a soldier, too, as one would expect. Dayan was an amateur in comparison. In my hardly ever humble opinion, anyway!

I think Sharon's plans and visions are well enough established and even somewhat well enough understood by those Israelis with some wisdom that Sharon has won his battle.

I am totally non-Jewish, by the way. As a group Jews are as stupid and foolish as any other. ("Duh", as they say.) I am writing an eulogy for a remarkable man.

Just in case I have been misunderstood I claim to just barely glimpse Sharon's thought patterns. The last few years have been comparatively "out in the open" and understandable. Sharon knew it was time to wrap things up.

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