Acid attack victim Delhi nurse ‘very critical’ after lung collapse

Preeti was shifted from Masina Hospital in Byculla to Bombay Hospital on May 18.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO),a technique of providing cardiac and respiratory support,is being used to sustain her. ECMO is resorted to when medicines and ventilator do not help.

“Acid has burned her food and wind pipes. She also has pneumonia and her lungs have collapsed. ECMO uses a pump to circulate blood back into the stream through an artificial lung,” said Sagar Sakle,spokesperson,Bombay Hospital.

Further surgery would be done only after Preeti recovers,he said,and added that plastic surgeon Ashok Kumar Gupta was focusing on life-saving measures.

“Her condition is very critical.”

Preeti’s mother Roshni blamed it on delay in treatment at Masina Hospital.

“She has been in hospital for 20 days but her condition is worsening. Doctors there (at Masina Hospital) only treated her external wounds and did not concentrate on internal wounds,which are quite serious. She has been running fever for several days and also contracted a chest infection. The authorities (at Masina Hospital) should have told us they do not have facilities to treat her further,” she said.

Masina Hospital director R B Dastur countered: “In such cases,it is difficult to assess damage. We performed gastroscopy Saturday and as soon as we realised her food pipe needs reconstruction,we transferred her to Bombay Hospital.”

A CT scan at Bombay Hospital Monday showed there was water in Preeti’s lungs and that her wind pipe and esophagus had fused due to ingestion of acid. A bronchscopy (inspection of chest) was performed Monday afternoon,followed by a jejunostomy (hole made in small intestine to insert a food pipe in stomach).

After the food pipe was inserted,Preeti has remained unconsciousness.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com