Doctors at Grenoble University Hospital, where Michael Schumacher was placed into a medically induced coma, fear the racing champion “could be in a coma forever.”

On December 29, Michael Schumacher injured himself in a skiing accident in the French Alps.

Since the accident, Michael Schumacher, 45, has undergone two brain surgeries and, despite some reports of small progress, doctors have been steadfast in their insistence that that status of his brain injuries remain critical.

Michael Schumacher injured himself in a skiing accident in the French Alps

The German magazine Focus spoke with experts on Michael Schumacher’s condition and reported that the seven-time Formula 1 champion “could be in a coma forever”. In addition, doctors in France told the German newspaper Bild that Michael Schumacher’s condition is so grave there are currently no plans to wake him.

The biggest concern for doctors when it comes to patients in forced comas is that oxygen to the brain is reduced in a coma, and the longer the patient remains in a comatose state, the more likely long-term effects such as brain and organ damage are sustained.

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