Jyoti Basu remains ‘extremely critical’ (Third lead)

KOLKATA - Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu’s condition remained “extremely” critical Saturday. The doctors attending on him said he was in the state of multi-organ failure.

“Basu’s condition is still extremely critical. He has been put on maximum ventilator support and he is in the state of multi-organ failure.

“He has now been put on slow, low efficiency daily dialysis (SLEDD),” a medical bulletin released by the AMRI Hospital authority said.

Earlier, A.K. Maity, who heads the eight-member medical board treating the former West Bengal chief minister, said Basu’s five body organs - brain, liver, kidney, lungs and heart - were not functioning in a proper way.

“AMRI Hospital’s nephrologists had a talk with their counterparts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) regarding Basu’s treatment last night (Friday),” Maity said, adding that they had changed some of the medicines Saturday.

“The doctors have given more support to stabilise the blood pressure of the ailing 95-year-old leader,” the medical report said.

It also pointed out that Basu’s blood pressure and urine output had dropped and the level of carbon dioxide in his body increased last (Friday) night.

The communist veteran was hospitalised after a pneumonia attack and admitted in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) of the Salt Lake-based private hospital Jan 1.

Born 1914 in Kolkata, Basu became chief minister of West Bengal in June 1977. He stepped down voluntarily on health grounds in November 2000.