Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began breathing independently today shortly after doctors started to rouse him from a medically induced coma.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon slightly moved an arm and a leg and breathed on his own after doctors today gradually began to rouse him from a medically-induced coma, a hospital official said.
"In a test of (his reaction) to pain, we noticed that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon slightly moved his right arm and right leg," Dr Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital said, five days after the 77-year-old leader suffered a massive stroke.
Dr Mor-Yosef, repeating information he provided in an earlier briefing, said Mr Sharon began to breathe spontaneously after doctors lowered the level of his sedation.
But he said Mr Sharon was still hooked up to a respirator and in critical condition.
A handout photo released by the Israeli Defense Ministry shows Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during the 1967 Middle East War.
Doctors received the go-ahead to begin resuscitating Mr Sharon and assess the brain damage caused by the massive stroke he suffered last week.
Mr Sharon, whose sudden illness has thrown Israeli politics and Middle East peace prospects into disarray, remained in critical but stable condition shortly before doctors were due to begin weaning him off his sedation.
Dr Mor-Yosef, said a scan yesterday showed improvement, with swelling down and pressure in his skull normal. Surgeons at the hospital say there is a good chance he will survive, but it is unclear how much brain damage he has suffered.
Outside experts have said doctors should have a good idea of the extent of the damage by the end of the day. One of Mr Sharon's neurosurgeons cautioned that it was unlikely he could function as prime minister again.
After withdrawing the sedatives, doctors are to pass their assessment of brain damage to Attorney General Meni Mazuz, who will then decide whether to declare the prime minister permanently incapacitated. "The minute we know what damage has occurred, we will talk," said a Justice Ministry spokesman.
Since an acting prime minister is in place, there is no urgency to such a declaration, he added.
Ehud Olmert, Mr Sharon's deputy, was named acting prime minister after Sharon suffered the stroke last Wednesday, and can serve in the role for 100 days.
In the event the attorney general declares permanent incapacitation, the Cabinet would have to elect a new prime minister within 24 hours from the five sitting Cabinet ministers from Mr Sharon's Kadima Party. Mr Olmert is among the five.
The death or incapacity of Mr Sharon, who raised peace hopes by pulling Israeli settlers and troops out of Gaza in September to end 38 years of military rule, would create a void in Israeli politics and damage efforts to forge peace with the Palestinians.
AP & Reuters