Alex Zanardi

Hospital to issue no further updates on Zanardi unless condition changes

2020 F1 season

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The hospital treating Alex Zanardi says it will not issue further updates on his condition, following discussions with his family, unless it changes significantly.

Zanardi spent his fifth night in the intensive care unit at the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital near Siena. He was admitted to the hospital on Friday following a crash in a handbike event, and underwent emergency surgery on head and facial injuries.

There have been no further developments in the 53-year-old’s condition, the hospital announced on Wednesday.

“The athlete spent the fifth night in hospital without substantial changes in his clinical conditions, as regards the cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters, and the neurological picture remains serious,” said the hospital.

“Neuro-monitoring continues and is constantly evaluated by a team consisting mainly of anaesthesiologists, resuscitators and neurosurgeons, supported by a multi-disciplinary team based on different clinical needs. The patient is always sedated, intubated and mechanically ventilated and the prognosis remains confidential.”

Daily updates on Zanardi’s condition have been issued since his admission to the hospital, but these will not continue.

“After hearing the family, it is considered useful not to disseminate other medical bulletins until there are significant changes in his state of health.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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11 comments on “Hospital to issue no further updates on Zanardi unless condition changes”

  1. petebaldwin (@)
    24th June 2020, 11:54

    I was worried about the use of the word “unless” in the title and somehow feel better to see the hospital actually used the world “until.” Hope to hear some good news soon…

  2. Is it really necessary to point out the thing about the ‘prognosis’ every single time as if people wouldn’t have got it the first time? Redundant to point out the same thing over and over again.

    1. Yes it is. It’s part of how news stories are written; reiteration is background to the current story, particularly for someone who has not read the previous. While you can expect–and are often presented with–links to past stories, this reiteration is something done in print (in my experience working in print).

  3. Lets just hope he will be awake soon without too much damage. From experience these things (induced coma) last a while the brain needs time to recover the swellings when those are reduced the doctors will bring the paitient slowly back from the induced coma. Recover swellings takes time 3-5 weeks on average. (this mean offcourse not he is then awake but the doctors go to the next fase)

    We will hear when that happens be patient.

  4. I am just trying to remember how many days he was in an induced coma in his 2001 crash? i know this is different and perhaps more serious because of likely neurological damage. I Hope he isnt a vegetable like schumacher if he wakes up and can still have a quality of life. I hope it isnt a situation like Bianchi, where he didnt wake up. such a sad story, after the devestation Zanardi suffered in 2001, he managed to live his life more to the full than able bodied people, money helped, but a positive attitude was the main thing.

  5. I’m a big fan and this horrible Zanardi accident has left me sick to the stomach.
    But I disagree with the families decision to go silent now.
    As race fans we watch these drivers get to do incredible things with these machines they race in. Most of the time races are won by many factors which all need to fall into place for victory. Along the way we become their fans on both good days and sometimes bad.
    We scream with joy when they win and on that bad day we learn of this GREAT HUMAN, ALEX ZANARDI and again he faces an unknown future as I write.
    Fans get to taste a drivers victory through all the technology present. We love those moments.
    But racing cars or bikes or skateboards often get racers into deep deep situations and once in a while crashes take our
    drivers from us.
    Or worse like MS he’s gone away but is still alive. And we loved him too. What an awful deal
    Now it’s happened again. One of the most popular driving figures of all time finds himself in the same situation with no known outcome. So lock him away and say nothing more until.
    I’m a fan and I think fans should be told the truth. To hide Alex away now while he recovers is what is needed?
    Fans need to know more than “nothing” about our racing hero’s even during such F’d up moments happen.
    Yes we deserve to know more as we all are part of a larger family, the family of race fans. We need more info to process our own feelings about this great man and the sad circumstances that have followed him.
    I wish it was different

    1. pastaman (@)
      24th June 2020, 15:18

      They are not remaining silent, they are just simply not repeating the same status over and over again. As the article says, when his status changes they will let people know. If there is no word, you can just assume there is no change in status. We, as fans, are not “owed” anything, so perhaps we should just respect their wishes.

      1. Agreed, as much as i want to hear that he’s awake and everything is fine, you’ve got to respect the family’s wishes. I know if the tables were turned, i’d want the same thing.

  6. I’m starting to worry this going to go the same way that Schumi did.

  7. Ding Ding…

    The bell of truth has wrung

  8. If anyone has the mental strength to come through this, its Alex.

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