Romania’s former national coach Mircea Lucescu is “in a critical condition” in intensive care at the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, the health minister said Tuesday.
“The prognosis is reserved and I would not like to speculate …. one way or another from a medical point of view,” the minister, Alexandru Rogobete, said.
Rogobete, was questioned about the health of Mr. Lucescu, 80, who was Romania’s national coach until last week.
Doctors are considering implanting a mechanical cardiac assistance (ECMO) system, an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest said Tuesday.
Medical teams met to discuss treatment and were joined by a Romanian cardiologist from France and Lucescu’s family.
“Today, the medical teams that care for Mr. Mircea Lucescu…. met with a Romanian cardiologist who works in France, at the request of his family. The patient’s family also participated in this meeting. For the moment, the decision is that the (current) treatment will be continued,” the hospital said.
His condition will be reassessed on Tuesday and medics will decide whether to install a EMCO, a temporary mechanical life-support system that acts as an artificial heart or lung and takes over breathing and circulation for patients with heart or lung failure.
Lucescu who was hospitalized on March 29 saw his condition worsen and on Sunday night he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit after his arrhythmia became severe and he no longer responded to treatment.
He was hospitalized directly from the national team’s training camp, after suffering a major heart rhythm disorder.
He underwent surgery on the day of Romania’s friendly match against Slovakia, when doctors fitted the 80-year-old with a defibrillator to regulate his heartbeat.
On Friday morning, when he was about to be discharged, Lucescu had a heart attack. On Saturday, the doctors said that the patient was responding to treatment.
