Palestinian official Erekat undergoes bronchostomy

Palestinian official Erekat undergoes bronchostomy
A medical professional in protective gear leaves the emergency department at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, where Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat is in critical condition with the coronavirus, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP)
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Updated 21 October 2020
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Palestinian official Erekat undergoes bronchostomy

Palestinian official Erekat undergoes bronchostomy
  • Erekat has been one of the Palestinians’ most recognizable faces over the past several decades, serving as a senior negotiator in talks with Israel
  • He was also a senior adviser to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the current president

JERUSALEM: A doctor treating Palestinian official Saeb Erekat for COVID-19 performed a bronchostomy on Wednesday to examine the condition of his respiratory system, his daughter said.
Salam Erekat said on Twitter that her father remained intubated and connected to an ECMO machine, which does the work of the lungs by transferring oxygen into blood.
She said it would take several days to get the results. “Hopefully things will take a better way. Pray for my father,” said Salam Erekat, who herself is a physician.
Erekat, 65, was transferred Sunday from the West Bank to Israel’s Hadassah Medical Center.
The hospital has said he is in critical but stable condition, and that its medical team is consulting with experts around the world to deal with the case. It says Erekat’s case is especially complicated given his history of health issues, including a lung transplant in 2017.
Erekat, 65, has been one of the Palestinians’ most recognizable faces over the past several decades, serving as a senior negotiator in talks with Israel and making frequent media appearances. He was also a senior adviser to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and current President Mahmoud Abbas.