Former Argentine football star Diego Maradona has been taken off artificial respirator and his heart is working well.
However, he remains under intensive care a week after entering hospital with heart and breathing problems, a hospital statement said on Sunday.
"The general condition is stable, without fever and with good cardiac function under medication," said the statement issued by the Suizo-Argentina clinic.
Maradona, considered one of the finest players in soccer history, was rushed to the clinic on April 17 after falling ill while watching his old team Boca Junior play in the Argentine league.
"In the last hours, the use of mechanical respiratory assistance has not been necessary. The outlook is still cautious," the statement said.
The 43-year-old Maradona, who led his country to the 1986 World Cup, was taken off artificial respiration Friday but put back on hours later.
Since the beginning of 2000, Maradona has been residing in Cuba, where he receives medical treatment for his heart ailment that put him on the verge of death that year.
The footballer has undergone treatment for drug addiction and weakening of heart after he suffered a heart attack in 2000, believed to have been caused by excessive drug abuse.
{{/usCountry}}The footballer has undergone treatment for drug addiction and weakening of heart after he suffered a heart attack in 2000, believed to have been caused by excessive drug abuse.
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