Buddha 'critical but stable', on ventilation

KOLKATA: Former Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who was admitted to hospital with severe breathing distress on Saturday is afflicted with bilateral pneumonia (both lungs affected) and upper respiratory infection. He is 'critical but stable'. Bhattacharya (79), a chronic COPD patient, has been put on ventilation.
A five-member medical team formed for his treatment has decided to conduct a CT of the thorax and a few blood tests, and will ascertain his condition on Monday.
Depending on the outcome of the tests, Bhattacharya could be gradually weaned off ventilation. Sources at Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital, where Bhattacharya is admitted, said his CT report will be matched with reports of his previous CTs conducted at the hospital over the last two-three years. "It will give us a better idea of his condition and help us decide of he is ready to be taken off ventilation. At the moment, he remains haemodynalically stable, but continues to suffer from altered sensorium or inability to think clearly, which is not unusual for a patient like him who has a tendency to retain carbon dioxide," said a doctor.
The former chief minister is being fed through a Ryles tube. He is also on antibiotics and 'relevant conservative treatment continues', said a bulletin issued by Woodlands hospital on Sunday evening.
Bhattacharya, who had an attack of Covid in 2021 and has been hospitalized several times since 2019 due to breathing distress, has type II respiratory failure. Type II respiratory failure occurs when the respiratory system can't remove carbon dioxide due to lack of oxygen.
Bhattacharya was taken to hospital in a critical-care ambulance on Saturday. Cops arranged a "green corridor" to ensure a seamless journey. He reached the hospital at 4.23pm.