Doctors treating Formula One legend Michael Schumacher have said that the next 48 hours will determine the racing ace”s future, including if emergency surgery has saved his life or if he has suffered any long-term damage. The seven-time F1 champion, who remains in an induced coma in a critical condition after he suffered internal bleeding and severe bruising to the brain when his head struck a rock during a high-speed off-piste ski run in the French Alps, is being watched around the clock by doctors and his family, who have maintained a bedside vigil. According to Telegraph.com.au, doctors said that Schumacher was kept in a coma and in a state of hypothermia to give him the best chance to recover from the serious head trauma, with Professor Stephen Chabardes, the neurosurgeon who performed emergency surgery on the star, saying that Schumacher arrived in hospital in an agitated state. Stating that they had been able to eliminate the ”haemotoma”, Chabardes however, said that unfortunately, various bilateral lesions appeared in his brain for which the F1 ace was being watched hour-by-hour, while another neurosurgeon said that it usually takes 48 hours, or even longer, to be able to formulate an opinion on injuries of this severity. The German, who turns 45 this Friday, was skiing with his 14-year-old son off-piste when shortly after a while he hit a rock and struck his head, with doctors saying that although the helmet he was wearing had given him a fighting chance but his head still suffered a very violent shock. (ANI)
