Leon Tsoukernik, the former primary owner of King's Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, has reportedly emerged from the coma he fell into following the misuse of a powerful sedative at his home in western Czechia earlier this week.
According to an update from the Czech online tabloid Blesk, Tsoukernik awakened to limited consciousness some 40 hours after emergency responders were called to his luxury residence in Chodová Planá. The 51-year-old Tsoukernik was airlifted to a facility in Prague in serious condition.
The Blesk report indicates that Tsoukernik was kept in an induced coma for the latter portion of the nearly two days he was unconscious, which is a not-uncommon treatment for lapsing into a coma, allowing one's system to further stabilize under controlled conditions.
Long path to recovery
Nonetheless, Tsoukernik had only limited conscious function after being reawakened, and he faces a long and uncertain path to recovery. The misuse of the sedative involved, propofol, can result in both physical and mental impairment, and Tsoukernik's recovery is likely to be a weeks- or months-long process.
"The patient doesn't have to be able to perceive, speak, or move. It's about the extent to which their brain is damaged," said a neurologist at Prague's Na Homolce Hospital, where Tsoukernik continues to be treated. Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the misuse and likely overdose of the drug, which is widely used as a sedative but is intended for use only by a licensed anesthesiologist and only under controlled conditions.
Tsoukernik had shifted his primary focus to social and philanthropic causes following the sale of his majority interest in King's Resort. Under Tsoukernik, the casino venue near the Czech border with Germany has cemented itself as the permanent home of the annual WSOP Europe festival each fall. in addition to other prominent poker series. Tsoukernik had also increased his personal participation in high-stakes poker events, where he has been an occasional attendee in recent years.
Lead photo courtesy of PokerStars/Tomas Stacha
