Shah has also started recognizing people and making active and coordinated movements of limbs, the hospital said in a statement.
“He (Shah) recognized (former) King Gyanendra Shah, (former) Queen Komal Shah and (former) Crown Princess Himani Shah who had gone to visit him on Saturday,” a reliable source told Republica. “He also recognized other family members, relieving the doctors from the fear of Shah suffering memory loss in worst case scenario.” [break]
These improvements brought smile on faces of former king, queen and crown princess for the first time since they arrived in Bangkok, the source said.
Other developments that took place on Saturday included Shah´s active movement of arms and legs.
“He (Shah) lifted his arms and legs when asked by doctors. He also responded to gesture-based communication of numbers, like one and two, made using fingers,” the source said. “He also tried to speak but couldn´t because of the ventilator.”
As these developments took place, the hospital, in a statement, said “there is continuous improvement in his (Shah´s) medical condition". The hospital also refrained from using the phrase “critical but stable” in Saturday´s statement.
“We hope the doctors will stop putting him on ventilator support within next two to three days,” the source said.
Shah suffered a major cardiac arrest at around 8 pm on February 19 -- the second since September 2007 -- at the apartment of Bangkok-based Nepali businessman Sunil Khadka at Rama 9 in Bangkok, where he had been staying for last two months.
Doctors said his heart had stopped beating for around 50 minutes when he was brought to the hospital.
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