Ariel Sharon Heart Surgery Condition is Common But Very Serious

December 26th 2005

Arial Sharon Heart Surgery Condition is Common But Very Serious

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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will undergo a catheterization procedure within the next couple weeks to repair a hole between the atrial chambers of his heart. This is relatively common birth defect that affects 15 to 25 percent of the population.

The hole was discovered by doctors when Mr. Sharon was treated for a minor stroke last week. It was a tiny hole measuring just 1 or 2 millimeters.

Sharon is lucky. There was a time when this condition required open heart surgery, where the chest is cut open and the sternum is opened up. Patients used to be hooked up to a heart lung machine that took over heart and lung functions while the surgeons operated on the heart.

The new procedure should be a lot less painful or dangerous and a lot less costly. Since the hole is so small he is a candidate for the non-invasive ASD (Atrial Septal Defect) Occlusion procedure. Open heart surgery is still used in some other cases.

Dr. Ahn of Hesperia told Best Syndication that many of these small holes can produce a large noise. A heart murmur can be more difficult to detect in cases where the hole is large. According to the St. Francis heart Center “Left untreated, over several decades, potential effects of the defect include progressive lung disease, exercise intolerance, heart rhythm abnormalities, shortened life expectancy and the increased risk of a stroke.”

Evidently Mr. Sharon’s speech was affected for several hours after his stroke. The Prime Ministers office reports that his memory was not affected though. Doctors say that Sharon needs to lose at least 100 pounds. The London Times reports that Sharon has lost 6 pounds since his stroke.

Mr. Sharon is 77 years old, stands just 5”7” tall but weighs 254 pounds. The recent stoke has concerned many Israelis who now question whether he is healthy enough to govern. His doctors have indicated there is no damage to Mr. Sharon’s brain. The Guardian reports “The prime minister is in exactly the same state now as he was the day before he was hospitalised," said Tamir Ben-Hur, the head of neurology at Hadassah hospital.