Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, was seriously ill but stable today after suffering a heart attack and undergoing emergency bypass surgery over the weekend.

Supporters and detractors alike gathered outside the military hospital in Santiago, where he is being treated, to observe the 91-year-old's condition. Doctors said it was too dangerous to operate further and that the next 48 hours would be critical to his chances of survival.

"The patient’s life is still in danger. We can’t change that," Dr Juan Ignacio Vergara told reporters. "[But] everything is under control."

Dr Vergara said that General Pinochet had spent a comfortable night after his heart attack and was able to talk to visitors. He warned, however, that his recovery would be complicated by several factors, including diabetes.

Lucia Pinochet, the eldest of Pinochet’s three daughters, thanked her father's supporters for their vigil. "I’m grateful for the gestures of support, especially from those who have held a vigil here, praying. I think that’s played a role in my father’s improvement."

With the death of General Pinochet looming once again — he has suffered numerous health scares in recent years as governments, including Britain, have sought to prosecute him for human rights abuses and corruption during his 17 years of power — Chile debated whether the former dictator should be given a state funeral.

President Michelle Bachelet, who was among the 28,000 people tortured during General Pinochet’s regime, has said in the past that Chileans would be offended if he was given full state honours while still under the shadow of serious criminal charges.

But a spokesman for the President was evasive when asked about arrangements today. "It’s in bad taste to talk about funerals when somebody is still alive," said Ricardo Lagos Weber.

General Pinochet has been prosecuted five times for crimes committed during his rule, but never convicted. His critics contend that his ill health coincides with attempts to bring him to court. Last week, General Pinochet was placed under house arrest after being accused of directing the murder of two bodyguards of President Salvador Allende, his predecessor.

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