No delay in transplant, Subi knew about her condition, says doctor

Kochi: Subi Suresh knew about her deteriorating health condition and her demise was not to delay in liver transplant, said the doctor who treated the TV presenter.

Dr Sunny P Orathel, Superintendent of Rajagiri Hospital, who was treating Subi during her last days, said the actor knew about her health condition when she was admitted to the hospital.

"Her untimely death was not due to the delay in liver transplant. In fact, the procedures for the surgery were much faster than usual. We had even found the liver donor. Though we were ready, the surgery had to be stalled owing to her deteriorating health condition," he told reporters.

Earlier, actor Suresh Gopi claimed that Subi’s death could have been avoided and blamed it on the law and the procedural delay.

"It was on January 20 that Subi Suresh got admitted to Rajagiri hospital for her liver disease. She was already having a liver condition when she came here. And it worsened once she came here. From the time Subi was admitted we have been administering the right treatment. And we did everything possible to prevent infections.

Unfortunately, those who have liver problems have low immunity. So in such cases, they will be reacting to treatments also differently. Though we gave her every possible treatment, she was responding rather slowly to the treatment. We even tried plasma exchange. But still, there was no improvement," he said.

"At that point, we knew that we had no other option but to go for a liver transplant surgery. We also informed her close relatives. Initially, they found it difficult to accept it. But later they came to terms with it and were open to the idea of surgery if need be.

From that moment onwards they were in search of a donor for her," he told reporters.

Doctors specialised in liver transplant surgery and gastrointestinal were doing everything possible to ease the process, he added.

"After a long search, we finally got a donor. Subi’s close relative himself came forward to be a donor. And we did everything possible to speed up the process from our side. The medical board of the hospital completed all the necessary procedures and left them to the consideration of the state medical board. Today, the state medical board was going to approve the liver transplant surgery. All the steps were completed at Kalamashery Medical College," he said about pre-surgery procedures.

"Unfortunately, by then Subi's condition had started to deteriorate, and she was not responding to treatment. At first, the kidney was slightly affected. Very soon the heart was affected. She died due to heart failure," he clarified.

Dr Sunny dismissed the allegation that the death occurred due to a delay in organ transplant surgery. “You can’t say that. Organ transplant surgery, especially liver transplant surgery is not something that can be done so quickly. Usually, there is a procedure of 3-4 months for those who require liver transplant surgery. Finding a donor alone won't make things easier, there are a lot of procedures that involve the donor as well as the recipient.

"The role of the medical board comes after all that. Those are issues pertaining to the law. We can’t keep that aside. But in Subi’s case despite all the procedures being done on time, it was her deteriorating health that made things more complicated. Circumstances were not ideal for surgery," he said.

"Her treatment at Rajagiri Hospital started a few days ago. We believe she already had this disease. By the time she was admitted here, her condition was a bit serious. The family was informed about this. And Subi was also aware of it," he said.