Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee on ventilator support; condition deteriorates

Soumitra Chatterjee health: Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee was put on ventilator support as his health condition deteriorated further after almost 20 days of being admitted to Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata. Doctors have said that the 85-year old thespian is not conscious and not responding to treatment.

The 85-year old Dadasaheb Phalke awardee's oxygen levels dropped down to less than 40 per cent. His haemoglobin and platelet count has also gone down.

A hospital spokesperson said, "We had to protect his airways. At 3 pm, we put him on ventilator support... His oxygen support is less than 40 per cent, and there were increasing chances of aspiration and secondary pneumonia. He is not that well. His health condition has definitely deteriorated. The medical board took a unanimous decision to protect his airway, and we did it by putting him on endotracheal intubation."

He also stated the veteran actor's kidney functions have been impacted and his urea and creatinine levels were 'not good'. The legendary actor, who has worked with geniuses like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Tarun Mazumdar, was hospitalised on October 6 after he tested positive for novel coronavirus. Three days later, he was moved into intensive care unit (ICU) after developing COVID-19 encepalopathy, due to which he is barely conscious.

While it was suggested last week that the actor's health condition is improving as he tested negative for coronavirus, Chatterjee's condition went downhill and he was shifted to a non-COVID ITU where he was put on oxygen support.

Another doctor told PTI, "Mr Chatterjee has been shifted to ITU after he has been experiencing restlessness and reached an acute confusional stage. We have shifted him to the ITU for close monitoring. He is having several co-morbidities, that's why we need to be more careful."

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