Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was admitted to Woodlands Hospital on Saturday afternoon following a sharp drop in his blood oxygen level, was put on mechanical ventilator at night “due to altered sensorium and poor work of breathing,” doctors said on Sunday.
The hospital issued a statement on Sunday evening saying the 79-year-old’s “overall clinical status remains critical but stable”. He is also suffering from pneumonia, a doctor said.
A medical board formed to monitor Bhattacharjee’s health has decided to do a CT scan of the thorax on Monday for a better understanding of his lungs’ condition.
The evening bulletin from Woodlands said: “Relevant conservative medical management is being continued”.
Saptarshi Basu, medical superintendent of Woodlands Hospital and a member of the team of doctors treating Bhattacharjee, said: “We put him on mechanical ventilation because poor work of breathing could have led to fatigue and other problems. The mechanical ventilation ensured rest to his lungs and let the antibiotics work.”
Bhattacharjee was put on a non-invasive ventilator
when he was admitted on
Friday.
An official said it would take a few more days for Bhattacharjee’s health to show improvement. The former chief minister’s wife and daughter were in the hospital during the day.
CPM leaders Biman Bose, Sujan Chakraborty, Rabin Deb, Surya Kanta Mishra, Shatarup Ghosh and Srijan Bhattacharya visited the hospital on Sunday. Naushad Siddiqui, leader of the CPM’s ally Indian Secular Front (ISF), also went to the hospital.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, visited the hospital.
A bulletin issued by the hospital on Sunday morning said Bhattacharjee was hemodynamically stable, which means his blood pressure and heart rate were stable. It said he was “electively intubated and ventilated last night due to altered sensorium and poor work of breathing”.
The former chief minister was admitted with a “lower respiratory tract infection and Type II respiratory failure”, the hospital said.
A doctor said type II respiratory failure meant accumulation of carbon dioxide. An official at the hospital said on Saturday Bhattacharjee had become drowsy because of the accumulation of carbon dioxide.
Bhattacharjee has been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder for many years. He was admitted to Woodlands with Covid two years ago.
After coming out of the hospital on Sunday, CPM leader Mishra said Bhattacharjee was responding to calls.