Bradley Remains in Serious Condition

A day after suffering a postoperative stroke, former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley continued to recuperate at a Hollywood hospital Friday as well-wishers from Mayor Richard Riordan to South African President Nelson Mandela sent their regards.

Doctors said that they were pleased that Bradley’s condition had stabilized, but that the five-term mayor still had little movement on his right side and could not speak. They said prospects for his recovery are unclear and he remains in serious condition.

“Recovery from a stroke isn’t something you [typically] see on an hourly or daily basis,” said the former mayor’s neurologist, Larry Rusheen of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. “Recovery times are frequently measured in weeks or even months.”

Bradley’s principal physician, Fred Alexander, added: “We are pleased that there are no further complications, that he is stable, and that his neurological status has not changed. He is very comfortable.”

Ethel Bradley visited her husband of nearly 55 years, along with their two daughters. The family was not available for comment, but Bradley reportedly was smiling and aware of what had happened.

Los Angeles’ longtime chief executive suffered the trauma to the left side of his brain at 5 a.m. Thursday, the morning after he underwent successful triple-bypass heart surgery. Doctors said blood may have clotted in his poorly functioning heart and been pumped to his brain once the surgery improved the function of the weakened heart muscle.

The stroke was another physical trauma for Bradley, who suffered a heart attack March 20.

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John G. Frazee, clinical professor of neurosurgery at UCLA, said some victims of brain trauma regain all movement and senses within 24 hours. For those who, like Bradley, take longer to recover, another important threshold comes after three months.

“A lot of the recovery is going to occur in the first three months, if it is going to occur,” Frazee said. “That is an important milestone, although even after that, there can be substantial improvement.”

A hospital spokesman dozens of telephone calls, letters and faxes are coming in for the former mayor. More than 50 bouquets had arrived by midday Friday. Bradley asked that the flowers be distributed among his fellow patients.