Former PM Ariel Sharon Undergoes Abdominal Surgery

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent abdominal surgery at Sheba Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon to correct a problem in his intravenous feeding system.

The operation, which lasted an hour, was planned several months ago.

Following the surgery, Sharon was transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit for post-operative monitoring. He is scheduled to be transferred back Wednesday to Sheba’s respiratory rehabilitation unit, where he has been hospitalized for a number of years.

Sharon’s condition remains unchanged following the surgery; for the past few years, it has been defined as a state of “minimal consciousness.”

Sharon, 85, suffered a brain hemorrhage in January 2006 and was initially hospitalized at Hadassah University Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, where efforts were made to restore him to full consciousness; they proved unsuccessful and he did not regain consciousness.

A few months later, in May, he was transferred to Sheba. In November 2010, Sharon was moved to his home, Sycamore Ranch, at the request of his family, for a few brief periods in an attempt to create an effective home care environment; ultimately, however, he was returned to Sheba.