Gabrielle Giffords' Condition Upgraded to 'Serious'

More good news for Gabrielle Giffords: Doctors upgraded her from critical to serious condition today, the Arizona Republic reports.

A spokesperson says such a change typically happens when a patient stops using a ventilator and can breathe on her own, as Giffords did yesterday. Patients are listed in critical condition if their vital signs are unstable and their indicators unfavorable; serious condition, on the other hand, indicates that while the vital signs could still be unstable, their indicators are "questionable." Click for more on the recent improvements in Giffords' condition.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was upgraded to serious condition Sunday from her listing of critical condition since undergoing brain surgery Jan. 8 after being shot in the head at a public event north of Tucson.

Doctors took Giffords off the ventilator Saturday and removed a breathing tube, which was replaced with a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe to help evaluate whether she could speak.