Albrecht doctors are cautiously optimistic
Swiss skier Daniel Albrecht is to be kept in an induced coma until his lungs have sufficiently recovered from injuries sustained in a training accident last week.
Albrecht is also suffering from a lung infection and is receiving antibiotics to fight the pneumonia, authorities at the Innsbruck University hospital in Austria said on Tuesday.
“This kind of inflammation develops with almost 80 per cent of all patients who suffer from this kind of lung injury,” the hospital said.
The crash happened four days ago during preparation for a World Cup downhill event at the classic Streif course in Kitzbühel.
The hospital said the accident had caused some bleeding in the skier’s lungs, which had not yet stopped.
“By artificial respiration and other lung care measures, we try to counteract damage to the lungs,” the hospital said on Monday. “His lung functions are good and stable at the moment. No surgery is planned.”
Doctors said they were hopeful Albrecht would make a full recovery.
The 25-year-old Albrecht is the reigning super-combined world champion and has four career World Cup victories – three in giant slalom and one in super-combi.
He has two giant slalom wins this season, at Sölden, Austria, and Alta Badia, Italy, and is tenth in the overall World Cup standings.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.