'Michael Schumacher responding to instructions'
NEW DELHI: The signs are good at the moment. Doctors have started weaning Michael Schumacher off induced coma and according to a French newspaper, the seven-time F1 champion was 'blinking' during the first stage of brain tests.
L'Equipe cited 'very reliable sources', saying Schumacher had undergone a number of neurological tests since Monday and he has responded positively to all of them.
Schumacher had been placed in artificial coma after suffering severe brain injury in a near-fatal skiing accident on December 29 in the French resort of Meribel. Shutting down function gave the brain time to heal. The French sports daily revealed that medics had started the process to end his coma by gradually reducing the dosage of powerful anaesthetic drugs being administered.
The daily wrote: "After gradually reducing the sedation of the patient, the team of Professor Emmanuel Gay (who is overseeing Schumacher's treatment) has been doing neurological tests since Monday. During the first stage, the patient blinked." Sky News also quoted sources saying Schumacher was responding to instructions.
Professor Jean-Luc Truelle told L'Equipe that once the patient opens his eyes there would be a "re-establishment of some kind of communication, which we verify through simple commands," such as 'open your eyes, shut your eyes, squeeze your hand'.
"Schumacher appears to show this type of reawakening," the French daily said. Earlier on Thursday, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm confirmed that Schumacher was being brought around from his coma.
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