The health of Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli is improving Wednesday and doctors are now preparing for dialysis.
Oli is on regular dialysis after the transplanted kidney stopped functioning. He has undergone dialysis four times in less than a month with the last done at Grande Hospital on Sunday.
"His health has improved a lot. We have also cut down blood pressure medication," a doctor involved in his treatment told Setopati. "We are now preparing for dialysis."
There was a gap of over a week between the third and fourth dialysis but use of antibiotics following diagnosis of peritonitis on Tuesday may have promoted the doctors to look for dialysis sooner this time.
The doctor added that Oli has been advised to remain at the hospital for at least a week.
Oli suffered peritonitis and was kept on a ventilator following appendectomy on Tuesday.
He reached Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center inside the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) premises Tuesday morning after abdominal pain. He was diagnosed of appendicitis and peritonitis and underwent laparotomy (incision on abdominal wall) and appendectomy (removal of appendix).
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen and covers and supports most of the abdominal organs and is usually caused by infection from bacteria or fungi.
Peritonitis, if untreated, can rapidly spread into the blood causing sepsis and to other organs resulting in multiple organ failure and death. The fact that PM Oli's immune system is compromised after the kidney transplant, doctors say, significantly increased the risk of sepsis and organ failure.
Doctors had started antibiotics since Tuesday to prevent spread of that infection. PM Oli had regained consciousness after surgery but had not been able to speak. He would move his eyes to communicate. He started to talk Wednesday morning and the ventilator was removed after improvement in his health.
Oli, whose transplanted kidney has stopped functioning, is on regular dialysis in recent times. He underwent fourth dialysis on Sunday.
PM Oli underwent plasmapheresis seven times in Singapore in August. Plasmapheresis is a term used to refer to a broad range of procedures through which blood components are filtered outside the body.
It was done on PM Oli, who had a kidney transplant 12 years ago, to remove antibodies for immunosuppression.
PM Oli is now said to be mulling another transplant as the transplanted kidney has stopped functioning.
