Castro had 3 failed surgeries, Spanish paper says

[guest]

Castro had 3 failed surgeries, Spanish paper says

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in serious condition after a series of three failed operations on his large intestine for diverticulitis complicated by infection, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday.

Castro, 80, suffered a serious infection that worsened to peritonitis, the newspaper's Tuesday edition said, citing two medical sources at the Madrid hospital where a surgeon who visited Castro in December works. The report was posted on the newspaper's Web site on Monday.

Castro's prognosis is "very serious" and he is being fed intravenously, the paper said.

A first operation to extract part of his large intestine and connect the colon to the rectum was a failure and the link broke, releasing feces into the abdomen that caused another peritonitis, the newspaper reported.

A second operation to clean and drain the infected area and perform a colostomy also failed, the paper said. A third operation implanted a prothesis, it said.

When Spanish surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido visited Castro in late December, Cuban doctors were considering another operation, the paper said.

"The patient required drainage for more than half a liter of fluids a day, which is causing him a severe loss of nutrients," the paper reported.

Castro, who took power in Cuba in 1959, has not been seen in public since July 26. He handed over power to his brother five days later, fueling speculation he is so ill he may never return to power on the communist-run Caribbean island.

In a New Year's message issued on December 30, Castro told Cubans that he was recovering slowly from surgery and said his recovery was "far from being a lost battle."

Garcia Sabrido, the Spanish surgeon, said after his visit in December that Castro did not have cancer and could return to govern Cuba if he recovered fully from his surgery.

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[TrueBluePatriot]

Well, seems the 20,000 troops scheduled to go to Iraq may have a little diversion: Cuba, South Florida, that entire region. Lest anyone doubt that Cuba will break out into chaos once the dictator dies - Raul is not nearly as "in control" as Castro and he won't know how to handle the chaos. Not every Cuban wants a change in government. Not every Cuban wants democracy. Democracy is an over-rated thing to a people who are too immature to understand it or know what to do with it and who, understandably fear change. [see Iraq]

[Marriam]

Hey Patriot, are you saying that America is gonna invade Cuba after Fidel dies?

And while we're at it, what's all this anti-democracy stuff? Whose side is a "patriot" on? This site gets weirder and weirder with every thread I read. Let me try a few more

[TrueBluePatriot]

Marriam, I'll assume your question was a mere question and not a taunt.

I'll guarantee the chaos in Cuba after his death, sure.
I'll predict US invasion after his death. Don't you see it coming?

[Marriam]

Question. Not taunt. I'll take your bet.