Kolkata: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu’s health is “pretty bad” and toxic elements are accumulating in his body, say doctors treating him in Kolkata.
"Last night his condition deteriorated and there was a drop in heart beat which went below 50. A temporary pacemaker was installed immediately. His condition remains extremely critical," said Debashish Sharma, superintendent of AMRI Hospital, where Basu was admitted with pneumonia on January one.
"As of now, Basu’s heart beat and blood pressure have stabilized," Sharma said.
Doctors on the medical board at the hospital will review his condition soon to decide when he would be put again on Slow Low Efficiency Daily Dialysis (SLEDD), he said.
Dr Ajit Kumar Maity, Basu's personal physician, said that putting the former chief minister on SLEDD would depend on his blood pressure and heart beat
Maity described Basu's condition as "pretty bad" and said toxic elements in his kidneys were leading to acidosis and fluid accumulation in the body. "In this condition, dialysis is most essential to neutralise acidosis and water accumulation."
"The carbon dioxide content in his body is also increasing and the acidosis factor is a matter of concern," Maity said.
Basu, 95, was put on SLEDD on Saturday, but the process was stopped after seven-and-a-half hours when his blood pressure dropped.
Subsequently his heartbeat also fell to 50 against the normal of 60, which led Maity and critical care specialist Susruth Banerjee to rush back to the hospital last night. Both the doctors are on the medical board of AMRI.
Banerjee said dialysis had failed to yield the desired result as the toxic elements could not be disposed of from his kidneys.
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