Poisoned Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko suffered heart failure overnight and was on life support Thursday morning, a friend said after the hospital reported the patient's condition had deteriorated. Litvinenko, a fierce critic of the Russian government, is suffering from the effects of an unknown poison he believes was given to him Nov. 1, the Associated Press reported. His hair has fallen out, his throat is swollen and his immune and nervous systems have been damaged. «He went into a cardiac failure overnight and the hospital put him on artificial heart support,» said Alex Goldfarb, a friend of the former KGB spy. «He's on the ventilator, he's getting artificial resuscitation,» Goldfarb told The Associated Press. A statement released by the University College Hospital said Litvinenko's condition had deteriorated overnight. It refused to comment on Goldfarb's statement, citing a policy of patient confidentiality. «He is now in a very serious condition and remains in intensive care,» the hospital said. It did not give any details of his treatment or on the report of heart failure.
