Staff Reporter:
BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been placed on elective ventilator support to allow her lungs and other organs to rest.
According to an update issued by her medical board on Thursday, her condition showed no improvement, prompting doctors to initiate elective ventilator support.
In a statement, the medical board said, “Recent tests over the past few days revealed several complications in her health. As her breathing difficulty increased, her blood oxygen level dropped and carbon dioxide levels rose, she was treated using a high-flow nasal cannula and a BIPAP machine.”
On 27 November, Khaleda Zia was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and has since been undergoing intensive treatment at the capital’s Evercare Hospital.
As her kidney function deteriorated, dialysis was initiated and she continues to require it regularly. Due to gastrointestinal bleeding and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), she is also receiving blood and blood products.According to an update from the hospital, despite all treatments, her fever did not subside. At the same time, irregularities were detected in the aortic valve during a routine echocardiography. A Transoesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) was subsequently performed, which confirmed a diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Following this, treatment was initiated immediately in line with international guidelines, based on the recommendations of a medical board comprising both local and foreign specialists.
The medical board urged all concerned not to make assumptions or spread misinformation, requesting everyone to place their trust in the board. It also called for cooperation in safeguarding the patient’s privacy and dignity.
Khaleda Zia has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka for the last 18 days. Her deteriorating condition has caused widespread concern across the country.
