Quds city, Feb11, SPA -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's life was in danger and he was being prepared for emergency surgery Saturday after an abdominal scan revealed severe damage to the digestive tract. Sharon, 77, suffered a devastating stroke Jan. 4 and has been in a coma since then. Earlier this month, a feeding tube was inserted, suggesting doctors were preparing him for long-term care. An abdominal scan Saturday revealed problems with the blood flow to his intestines and that his digestive tract had suffered damage, said Yael Bossem-Levy, spokeswoman for the Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital. After the scan, it was decided to operate on Sharon immediately, Bossem-Levy said in a statement. At 11 a.m. (0900 gmt) Saturday, the spokeswoman said the operation would begin within minutes, and that it would last between three and six hours. "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.
