Sharon has tracheotomy; condition remains critical

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a successful tracheotomy yesterday to help wean him off a respirator that has been helping him breathe, but his failure to regain consciousness after a massive stroke was drawing increasing concern.

The surgery to insert a plastic tube in Sharon's windpipe took less than an hour and followed a CAT scan that showed no changes in his brain.

Although Sharon was taken off sedatives Saturday, he had not regained consciousness more than a day later.

The hospital continued to describe his condition as critical but stable.

The acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, will remain in his post until Israel's election on March 28, Attorney General Meni Mazuz said.

Mazuz will continue to define Sharon as temporarily, rather than permanently, incapacitated because doctors treating him have not offered a prognosis, the Haaretz daily reported yesterday.

A declaration of permanent incapacitation would require the Cabinet to name a successor to Sharon.

The tracheotomy was necessary because the former tube to a respirator would have started to cause damage if it remained in place, said Dr. Philip Stieg, chairman of neurosurgery at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York.

The sedatives had been used to keep Sharon in a medically induced coma and give his brain time to heal.

But Stieg, who was not involved in Sharon's care, said it is becoming more probable that Sharon will remain in a vegetative state or have low cognitive abilities.

His condition ''suggests that the brain damage is as serious as we thought it was based on earlier reports and now it's all playing out," Stieg said. ''He's not turning the corner, he's not waking up . . . they're having to do more things to keep him alive."