Soumitra Chatterjee undergoes tracheostomy; doctors plan plasmapheresis

Tracheostomy was successfully performed on veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee on Wednesday (November 11) at Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata. Doctors treating Soumitra Chatterjee are planning to conduct plasmapheresis to improve his overall condition.  

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee underwent a tracheostomy on Wednesday (November 11) at Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata.

On ventilation for close to a month, the 85-year-old actor will now be able to breathe more freely and this can help in reviving his dwindling consciousness. 

Doctors treating Soumitra Chatterjee are planning to conduct plasmapheresis to improve his overall condition. A senior official of the hospital said, “The doctors are also mulling to put the 85-year-old thespian off ventilation after the successful tracheostomy.”

Belle Vue critical care head, Arindam Kar said, “On Wednesday morning, doctors conducted a tracheostomy that involved insertion of a tube through neck to lungs. It will remain connected to the ventilator and carry oxygen directly to the lungs, thus helping his breathing.”

“Our next step will be plasmapheresis which we have planned for Thursday (November 12). That might hopefully bring back his consciousness towards normalcy,” he added.

Plasmapheresis is a process in which the liquid part of the blood, or plasma, is separated from the blood cells and replaced with another solution such as saline or albumin, or treated and returned to the body to treat autoimmune disorders.

Soumitra Chatterjee’s neurological condition, however, remains unchanged and there has been no improvement in his consciousness level Doctors believe plasmapheresis can improve his response.