Sharon’s condition deteriorates
Former PM suffers from infection in both lungs, brain takes turn for worse
In addition, Sharon’s urine output has decreased in the last 24 hours.
Sharon's doctors held a consultation regarding his condition and decided to boost antibiotic treatment coupled with steroids aimed at combating his lung infection. Three weeks ago, hospital officials reported a deterioration in the former PM's conditions that included kidney problems.
Sheba Director Zeev Rothstein told Ynet that the lung infection was likely behind the latest deterioration in Sharon's condition.
"In the coming days we'll be able to tell whether Sharon responds to the medicine he's given," Rothstein said. "If he responds, we'll go back to the situation we were facing before. If he doesn't respond to the treatment, the situation can deteriorate and get to a system collapse."
The hospital director noted that Sharon's sons, Gilad and Omri, are being updated constantly despite performing reserve military service at this time.
Dr. Shai Brill, who heads the Beit Rivka geriatric hospital addressed Sharon's condition and said the problems reported are common to patients who have been unconscious and ventilated for a long period of time.
Brill, who is not part of the team treating Sharon, said urine output serves as an indicator to the state of the kidneys, and added that "when there's a reduction, it's a concerning sign and could attest to a problem in the functioning of the kidneys."
Former PM hospitalized 7 months ago
Sharon suffered a massive stroke on Jan. 4 and has been unconscious ever since. The former PM 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.
