A surgical procedure has been carried out on U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords which has freed her from a ventilator, the hospital said on Saturday.University Medical Center in Tucson said the tracheotomy was performed on Saturday morning to replace the breathing tube which had been running down her throat with a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe, protecting her airway and freeing her from the ventilator. In addition, surgeons have inserted a feeding tube to provide nutritional support.
"These procedures are not uncommon among brain-injured patients in the Intensive Care Unit," a hospital spokesperson said, adding that Giffords remains in a critical condition while her recovery continues "as planned."
Also on Saturday, University Medical Center said another patient of last week's shooting rampage has been released from the hospitals. Two other patients remain in a good condition.
The shooting happened at about 10.11 a.m. MST at a supermarket in northwest Tucson on January 8 where U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was hosting her first "Congress on Your Corner" of the year. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, opened fire, killing six people and injuring 13 others.
Among the fatalities were 9-year-old Christina Greene and U.S. District Judge John Roll. U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who appears to have been the target, was critically injured as a result of a gunshot wound to her head.
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