Doctors hope to finish weaning Sharon off sedatives

Ariel Sharon's condition improved slightly and he remained lightly sedated Wednesday afternoon as doctors hoped to remove the prime minister from all remaining sedatives to draw him out of an induced coma and assess his chances of recovering from a massive stroke, hospital officials said.

One of Sharon's doctors said that though the prime minister was improving everyday, he was not yet out of danger.

"The prime minister's life is still in danger. He suffered a serious stroke, period," Dr. Jose Cohen, one of Sharon's neurosurgeons, told Israel TV. "Until we have passed a few more stages we are still very cautious, We know that every day, although we are getting further out of danger, we are still in danger."

Doctors had said Tuesday that &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/366/16710_Sharon.html' target=_blank>Sharon, 77, was out of immediate danger, but Cohen appeared to be more cautious in his assessment.

When asked if Sharon could die he responded: "The further away we get from the first stroke the further we get from that possibility."

Amid the signs of progress, some Israeli media raised new questions about whether doctors' decision to give Sharon blood thinners after a mild stroke on Dec. 18 caused last week's hemorrhage. Hadassah Hospital officials defended his treatment.