|
Di Stefano in serious condition, needs bypass
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-26 09:11
MADRID, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano will require
bypass surgery to deal with the serious consequences of the heart attack he
suffered in the early hours of Saturday morning.
 Medical staff at La Fe hospital in Valencia said the 79-year-old
Argentine would only be able to undergo the surgery when his condition improved.
"He has a circulation problem and there are some arteries feeding the heart
that have been seriously narrowed," head of cardiac surgery Anastasio Montero
told a news conference on Sunday.
"We need to carry out a bypass to overcome this problem, but we will have to
wait for his condition to improve before we can operate. He has had a heart
attack and a pulmonary edema and if we operate now it will be in unfavourable
circumstances.
"His heart is beating with difficulty. A person needs sufficient arterial
pressure or else they will die and because of the heart attack his heart does
not have enough strength.
"We have inserted a system that will help the heart and the rest of his body
function for the time being."
Di Stefano, a diabetic and smoker, was admitted to hospital in Sagunto after
suffering pains in his chest in the early hours of Saturday.
He was transferred to a nearby hospital in Valencia on Saturday night where
he underwent cardiac catheterism to assess the extent of the damage caused by
the heart attack.
"He has been conscious at all times and when he has been able to he has
spoken normally with his family and with the people from Real Madrid who have
visited him," said Valencia health authority spokesman Manuel Cervera.
EUROPEAN CUPS
Di Stefano, Real's honorary president and record goalscorer, led the Spanish
club to five consecutive European Cup triumphs between 1956 and 1960 and eight
Spanish league titles.
|
