Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee very critical

The health condition of legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee deteriorated to "very critical" on Sunday, doctors treating him at a private hospital here said. The 85-year-old thespian is not responding to treatment and his platelet count has dropped further in the last 24 hours, a doctor at the facility said.

"There is a deterioration in his neurological condition and he has very little consciousness. He is not responding to treatment. His condition is very critical," a senior doctor at the hospital told PTI.

A hospital spokesman said in a statement, "On the 20th day of hospitalisation and 17th day of ICU care, the consciousness of the octogenarian is not improving despite all our efforts. Rather it has gone down."

"His platelet count is little on lower side and his haemoglobin has gone down. We have begun transfusion, we are correcting the platelet count. We are trying definitive therapy to end Covid encephalopathy which is the crux of matter," the statement said.

"Our neuro board discussed ways like giving him invasive air way support after talking to his family," the spokesman said. The level of urea and sodium in his blood has gone up, he said.

Stating that Chatterjee was "maintaining well on other organ functions," he said with prolonged ICU stay and invasive support there is always a chance of secondary complications due to his advanced age and co-morbidities. Encephalopathy is a general term to describe a disease that affects the function or structure of the brain.

"His organs like lungs and heart are working well and his blood pressure is normal but his consciousness is a cause of concern," the spokesman said.

The critically acclaimed actor was admitted to the hospital on October 6 after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Chatterjee, a Dada Saheb Phalke awardee, had tested negative for the infection last week after which he was shifted to a non-COVID ITU.
The story has been taken from a news agency