Tom McReen
July 26th, 2009, 03:55 PM
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/26/article-1202279-05BFAE0A000005DC-798_468x377.jpg
Nicolas Sarkozy was rushed to a Paris hospital by air ambulance today after collapsing while jogging with his bodyguards in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.
The 54-year-old was said to be feeling 'extremely unwell' and was gasping for breath.
Tests were being carried out at the Val de Grace military hospital, with Mr Sarkozy's 41-year-old wife Carla Bruni at his side.
Mr Sarkozy was set to remain in hospital overnight, as heart checks continued.
He was said to be ‘alert and talking’, according to an Elysee spokesman, but medics believed it was best for him to remain under supervision until Monday at the earliest.
France’s Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot claimed that Mr Sarkozy had fainted – briefly losing all consciousness - but this was later denied by the Elysee Palace.
Instead they said he had suffered a so-called ‘vagal epsidode’, remaining conscious throughout.
This affects the vagus nerve which slows down the heartbeat and reduces arterial tension. A vagal episode is often caused by vigorous exercise in hot weather hot. It was 28 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) in Versailles on Sunday.
A witness confirmed that the President had ‘staggered and collapsed’ during a grueling run in the heat.
He was treated by his personal doctor, who is on call 24 hours a day, before being transported to hospital by helicopter.
Carla Bruni was seen arriving at the helicopter on a motorbike before it set off for the hospital. She was with him last night, with Mr Sarkozy still being kept in a private room.
An Elysee Palace spokesman said Mr Sarkozy had 'felt faint while exercising and is currently undergoing tests in hospital'.
French media are reporting that Mr Sarkozy had suffered a vagal nerve attack, adding that it could involve a brief loss of consciousness and change in the heart rate.
The Elysee Palace denied tonight that the president had lost consciousness during the episode.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1202279/BREAKING-NEWS-French-president-Nicolas-Sarkozy-taken-ill-exercising.html
Nicolas Sarkozy was rushed to a Paris hospital by air ambulance today after collapsing while jogging with his bodyguards in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.
The 54-year-old was said to be feeling 'extremely unwell' and was gasping for breath.
Tests were being carried out at the Val de Grace military hospital, with Mr Sarkozy's 41-year-old wife Carla Bruni at his side.
Mr Sarkozy was set to remain in hospital overnight, as heart checks continued.
He was said to be ‘alert and talking’, according to an Elysee spokesman, but medics believed it was best for him to remain under supervision until Monday at the earliest.
France’s Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot claimed that Mr Sarkozy had fainted – briefly losing all consciousness - but this was later denied by the Elysee Palace.
Instead they said he had suffered a so-called ‘vagal epsidode’, remaining conscious throughout.
This affects the vagus nerve which slows down the heartbeat and reduces arterial tension. A vagal episode is often caused by vigorous exercise in hot weather hot. It was 28 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) in Versailles on Sunday.
A witness confirmed that the President had ‘staggered and collapsed’ during a grueling run in the heat.
He was treated by his personal doctor, who is on call 24 hours a day, before being transported to hospital by helicopter.
Carla Bruni was seen arriving at the helicopter on a motorbike before it set off for the hospital. She was with him last night, with Mr Sarkozy still being kept in a private room.
An Elysee Palace spokesman said Mr Sarkozy had 'felt faint while exercising and is currently undergoing tests in hospital'.
French media are reporting that Mr Sarkozy had suffered a vagal nerve attack, adding that it could involve a brief loss of consciousness and change in the heart rate.
The Elysee Palace denied tonight that the president had lost consciousness during the episode.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1202279/BREAKING-NEWS-French-president-Nicolas-Sarkozy-taken-ill-exercising.html