Mahajan shows slight improvement, but still critical

MUMBAI: BJP leader Pramod Mahajan's condition has slightly improved and he has shown some signs of consciousness but continues to be "quite critical", according to a hospital bulletin.
"The condition of Pramod Mahajan has slightly improved but still remains quite critical and he is on life support measures in the Intensive Care Unit," Dr Anupam Verma, Director (Administration) of the Hinduja Hospital where Mahajan is admitted, told reporters.
Mahajan, who was shot at allegedly by his youngest brother Pravin on Saturday, has also shown some signs of "consciousness" apparently because of lower dosage of sedation, the doctor said.
Asked to explain how conscious Mahajan has been, the doctor said the injured BJP leader is showing some hand and eye movement.
"From last night it is a positivity, rather than a negativity," he said.
However, Mahajan's kidney functions remained poor although bleeding from his liver has slowed down a little bit, Verma, who read out the bulletin, said.
Doctors treating him now plan to stabilise him and scale down the life support, he said.
The bullets shot at Mahajan damaged the right lower part of his chest, liver, head of the pancreas and duodenum and small intestine besides rupturing the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC), the main vein carrying blood to the heart.
"The course of management would depend upon his progress and response which is being assessed by the team of doctors on an hour-to-hour basis," Verma said.