Vilasro Deshmukh is stil critical, put on life support system

CHENNAI/MUMBAI: Union science and technology minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, admitted to a Chennai hospital on Monday, was still in critical condition on Tuesday, doctors said. Deshmukh is conscious but has been on life- support in the intensive care unit.

He was brought to Chennai from Mumbai in an air ambulance on Monday evening from Mumbai.

Deshmukh was undergoing treatment at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, where he was admitted a week ago. He was suffering from cirrhosis of liver and his two kidneys dysfunctional.

When his condition deteriorated further, he was put on life support systems and it was then decided to shift him to Chennai in an air ambulance, sources said.

Deshmukh’s son Amit, a Congress legislator, too informed Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday that his father’s condition was slightly better than on Monday. “Amit spoke to Chavan and briefed him on his father’s health. He expressed concern, but was optimistic of an improvement in a day or two,” a senior government official told on Tuesday. A family member also said the ailing former chief minister’s response to treatment was lukewarm but expected some improvement soon. “If there is marked improvement in the basic parameters, only then will a decision be taken on whether to go in for the liver transplant. We expect it will take a minimum two to three days to arrive at any conclusion,” he said.

Some reports said Amit urged Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who were planning to call on Deshmukh on Tuesday, to postpone their plan. However, the official said neither Chavan nor Pawar had any immediate plans to visit Chennai.

Entry to the ICU has been restricted to prevent infection, doctors said. A spokesperson told reporters that the hospital could not reveal details as the minister’s family had requested privacy. “We respect patient privacy,” he said.

World renowned liver transplant expert, Dr Mohammed Rela of the Kings Hospital, London, is also the head of the Global’s Centre for Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Liver Transplantation.

It is under his care that the former Maharashtra chief minister would be getting treatment.

But, so far, neither the Global Health City nor the government have requested for a liver on his behalf, sources at the TN Organ Sharing Network maintain.

Once a request is made, finding a cadaver matching his blood type would be a difficult task, the sources said.