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Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee put on ventilator; dropping platelet count worries doctors
The octagenarian actor had tested positive for Covid-19 on October 6 and has been hospitalised at a Kolkata hospital since then.
Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee was put on ventilator on Monday afternoon while his platelet count dropped, which was ‘worrying’ said doctors.
“We had to protect his airway. Around 3 pm we put him on endotracheal intubation. His consciousness was not doing well. There was an increasing chance of aspiration. Secondary pneumonia was there,” Dr Arindam Kar, who is leading a team of doctors treating the thespian, told media persons.
The octagenarian actor had tested positive for Covid-19 on October 6 and has been hospitalised at a Kolkata hospital since then.
“The only worrying part was that his platelet count went down along with gastrointestinal bleeding. We have consulted haematologists and all precautions were being taken. Measures to improve his platelet count and correct the overall coagulation function so that the bleeding stops were also taken,” he said.
Doctors, however, said that Chatterjee’s blood pressure was stable and that his cardiac and liver functions were also doing well.
“The overall situation, considering the patient’s comorbidities, seems to be stable,” the doctor said.
One of the most celebrated actors in Bengal, Chatterjee has received many awards and honours including the Padma Bhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, National Awards and Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna.
He is best known for his collaboration with Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray and the Feluda series.
