old title: Ariel Sharon Near Death - out of Emergency Surgery, back in IC.
CNN International and the AP are reporting that Ariel Sharon is about to undergo emergency surgery to treat bleeding in his abdomen. They are saying the doctors fear for his life.
In a CT scan of Sharon's stomach Saturday, doctors discovered that his digestive track had been seriously damaged, said Yael Bossem-Levy, spokeswoman for Hadassah Ein-Kerem hospital. In light of the damage, it was decided to immediately operate on Sharon, Bossem-Levy said in a statement.
"Sharon's life is in danger," Bossem-Levy told The Associated Press in a phone call after the statement was issued. His condition is now "very serious, or critical," she said.
The AP has an updating story out there now. It's HERE.
CNN is speaking with Ron Kumer of Hadassah Hospital. He's confirming what's in the AP story but added that they did the CT scan because Sharon's condition was worsening.
That's all I've got for now (about 1:10 AM Pacific Time). Feel free to update in the comments.
**Update* Dan Williams of Reuters now has a source in the hospital saying Sharon will likely die today. The piece is HERE. (2:15 AM Pacific time)
"We expect him to die today," said the source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media on behalf of Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital.
**Update**(5:45AM Pacific)
Apparently he's out of surgery and back in intensive care. They removed some of his intestines (necrosis?) Next official update will be at 10AM Eastern time. I probably won't be around by then so feel free to update in the comments. Frankly, I'm surprized at how little interest there is in this story.
**UPDATE**(5:50AM Pacific)Now Reuters is saying he's out of danger.