Soumitra Chatterjee given blood transfusion, condition remains critical

Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee was given blood transfusion following a slight drop in his haemoglobin count and his health condition remained critical, doctors treating him at a Kolkata hospital said on Saturday.

However, dialysis was not conducted on the 85-year-old thespian, who is under treatment since October 6, they said.

"His blood pressure and other vital parameters, including cardiac conditions, remained stable but there was a slight drop in his haemoglobin count, because of which we gave him both blood and platelet transfusion. His consciousness is the same as before," the doctors said in a statement.

The nephrology board decided not to conduct dialysis during the day as his urine output was normal, a doctor said.

The octogenarian is opening his eyes at times but he is still unresponsive to verbal commands, he said.

Two sessions of dialysis were conducted on Chatterjee since Wednesday, because of which his vital parameters are stable, the doctor said.

Doctors, however, decided not to conduct dialysis from Friday onwards due to a slight improvement in his renal function, the medical practitioner said.

The veteran actor is on ventilator support since last week. He was admitted to the hospital on October 6 after testing positive for Covid-19.

He later tested negative for the infection but Covid- 19 encephalopathy has set in and various other comorbidity complications have arisen.