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TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) ― Gov. Jon S. Corzine was in too much pain to breathe without a ventilator, doctors said Wednesday, as he approached a week in an intensive care unit following an April 12 car crash.

An anesthesiologist at Cooper University Hospital inserted catheters near Corzine's 11 broken ribs Wednesday to give him a different type of pain treatment in the hope that would help him breathe completely on his own sooner.

When doctors described that procedure Wednesday, it seemed clear that Corzine, a one-time Marine they described as a "pretty tough guy," was not likely have a miraculously quick recovery from his severe injuries. He remained in critical but stable condition.

He was "clearly in too much pain to tolerate it" when doctors had reduced the drips of morphine Corzine was getting, said Dr. Steven Ross, the head of trauma at the hospital. "Like any patient, we don't want him to suffer."

Ross would not predict how long it might be before Corzine could breathe completely on his own, but said he hoped it would be a matter of days, not weeks.

Corzine was riding in the front passenger seat of a Chevrolet Suburban on the Garden State Parkway last week with a state trooper behind the wheel when the vehicle was clipped by another driver swerving to avoid a third vehicle and veered into a guard rail.

The governor's SUV was traveling 91 mph seconds before the crash and Corzine was not wearing a seat belt, officials have said.

In addition to the broken ribs, Corzine's left thigh bone, breastbone and collarbone were broken. He also had a fractured vertebra and a laceration on his head.

But he did not have damage to his brain or other internal organs and was not paralyzed, his doctors said. His brain function is as good as anyone's could be while on a ventilator, they said.

When Corzine first arrived at the hospital, doctors said, he was able to talk about the accident. But soon, a breathing tube was inserted into his throat and he has not been able to speak since, though he can communicate by nodding his head.

On Monday, a surgeon performed a third and final scheduled surgery on the broken leg. After that, doctors began focusing on the governor's breathing.

By Wednesday, Ross said, the ventilator was set to give Corzine eight breaths each minute. He was taking about six breaths per minute beyond that on his own.

But Ross said that when doctors reduced the amount of morphine, a general narcotic, Corzine was in obvious pain: He grimaced, his blood pressure rose and his breathing became more labored.

On Wednesday, a doctor put two catheters into Corzine's back to deliver a local anesthesia to the nerves that sense pain from his ribs. The drug, unlike morphine, should not impair his motor function, said Dr. Michael Goldberg, the chief of anesthesiology at Cooper.

Goldberg said the catheters would remain below the skin in the governor's back between five and 10 days. The catheters do bring a risk of infection, he said.

Ross said Corzine is on a relatively small dose of morphine, delivered through a constant drip.

Breathing on his own would be a major milestone for Corzine's recovery, which is expected to take months. Doctors said his bones would heal in about three months, but it could take another three months before he can walk without a cane.

Dr. Simon Samaha, chief medical officer at Cooper, said that except for those who are chronically dependent on ventilators, patients on ventilators cannot be upgraded from critical condition.

The longer a patient is on a ventilator, the greater the risk, said Dr. Phillip Factor, director of the Columbia University Medical Center's medical intensive care unit. Possible complications include contracting pneumonia from the ventilator, infection and blood clots.

Ross said recovery could be slowed if the ventilator is removed too early.

The day after the crash, Corzine's chief of staff said he hoped he would be able to take the reins of the state government from the acting governor, state Senate President Richard J. Codey, within a week or so.

Now, the governor's top staffers are settling in to the idea that Corzine won't be back so soon.

"He's going to get there on his own time," said Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)