KOLKATA: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu's condition was "extremely" critical on Saturday and he was put on maximum ventilator support, doctors
attending on him said.
"Basu's condition is extremely critical and he has been put on maximum ventilation today. His blood pressure had dropped last night (Friday) and later it was managed with high volume of medicines," the afternoon medical bulletin released by the AMRI Hospital said.
The 95-year-old Communist leader's urine output had also dropped in the night.
"The doctors will conduct a slow-low efficiency daily dialysis (SLEDD) on Basu on Saturday. This special dialysis process will continue for almost eight hours," the bulletin said.
The former West Bengal chief minister suffered multi-organ failure Friday evening.
According to doctors, the level of carbon dioxide in Basu's body increased after which he was given more ventilator support.
"He is now under round the clock medical observation," the medical report added.
Earlier, cardiologist A K Maity, who heads the eight-member medical board treating the Basu, said his heart and liver function had deteriorated and the sensorium of the brain was also very low.
According to hospital sources, the medical board will again meet in the evening to review Basu's health condition and issue a medical bulletin at around 7pm.
Basu was hospitalized after a pneumonia attack and admitted in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) of the Salt Lake-based private hospital on January 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.