Doctors are beginning to bring comedienne Joan Rivers out of a medically induced coma, according to the New York Daily News. Sources close to the family said doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital began lifting Rivers from the coma on Sunday and will continue to do so until Tuesday.
The family is said to be considering a lawsuit against the New York City clinic where Rivers was undergoing a routine throat procedure.
"The waking-up process has begun and will take until Tuesday," the source said. "There is real concern that the part of the brain that controls motor skills may have been compromised, leaving her as either a vegetable or in a wheelchair."
Because of how severe Rivers' medical condition is, the source claims that the family could sue Yorkville Endoscopy. Before being rushed to the hospital, Rivers was undergoing surgery on her vocal chords at the Upper East Side clinic.
During the procedure she went into cardiac and respiratory arrest and was taken to Mount Sinai where doctors placed her in a medically induced coma. At first it was reported that Rivers was in "stable condition," but on Saturday things reportedly took a turn for the worse and she was placed on life-support.
"Shock and upset is turning to anger, and they are looking for someone to blame," the source told the Daily News. "The night before, she was performing, and now she is on life support. An 81-year-old should not have that procedure as an outpatient. Very ill-advised."
On Sunday, Rivers' daughter Melissa released a statement saying that "we are keeping our fingers crossed." The source told the Daily News that Melissa is putting on a brave-face but she is "totally hysterical and is at a loss for what to do [because] they won't know the extent of the damage until Tuesday at the earliest."
