Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli will have to remain hospitalized for at least another week.
Doctors involved in his treatment organizing a press conference at Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center inside the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) premises Friday morning said his health continues to improve.
Dr Ramesh Singh Bhandari, who conducted the appendectomy on Oli, said he will return to the pre-surgery status in two weeks. "His appendix had perforated and there was infection in the stomach (peritonitis)," Bhandari revealed. "The infection has been cured. His wound would need around a week to heal. He will return once the wound heals."
Oli is still at the Intensive Care Unit of Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center.
PM's personal doctor Divya Singh Shah said he currently does not have any problem apart from that related to appendicitis and kidney. "The latest development will not impact kidney transplant. But we have yet to decide whether to do kidney transplant or not, and where to do if we decide to do," Dr Shah added.
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.
He underwent the fifth dialysis at Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center Wednesday evening.
He 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.
