Michael Schumacher has undergone a second operation and his condition has improved slightly following his horrific skiing accident, doctors said at a news conference in Grenoble on Tuesday.
The family of German motor-racing champion Michael Schumacher is at his bedside as he fights for life following a skiing accident in the French Alps.
Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, said his wife, Corinna, daughter Gina Maria and son Mick are in a state of shock at the Grenoble hospital.
“The family is not doing very well, obviously. They are shocked,” Sabine Kehm told reporters.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion suffered head injuries on Sunday in a fall at the resort of Meribel.
He has been put in a medically-induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain.
Prof Jean-Francois Payen, of Grenoble University Hospital’s intensive care unit, told a news conference that they could not give a prognosis for the 44-year-old driver.
“He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation. We are working hour by hour,” he said.
Doctors have lowered Schumacher’s body temperature to 34-35C (93.2-95F) as part of the coma, slowing his metabolism to help reduce inflammation.
The driver had been skiing off-piste with his teenage son when he fell and hit his head on a rock.
He was first taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Moutiers and was then shifted from Moutiers to the larger facility in Grenoble.
