SHILLONG: The death of two COVID patients at NEIGRIHMS — a BSF personnel and a Geologist — in close succession on the night of Saturday-Sunday, has sent a shock wave among the public here. Not surprisingly, the Health officials were at pains to send a message across that both the deceased had other health conditions which led to complications and eventual death.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, DHS (MI) Aman War gave a full account of their case history so as to dispel any rumour mongering and possible panic reaction in the community.
Giving details he said that the deceased patients were Kolkata returnee, Banteilang Rapthap Syngai (40) and a BSF jawan, Nandeshwar Deury (48). Syngai was admitted to NEIGRIHMS on July 5 with complaints of pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. He passed away on Saturday at 11.56 pm.
He had returned from Kolkata on July 5 and was in a quarantine facility prior to the transfer to NEIGRIHMS. On evaluation in NEIGRIHMS, he was diagnosed as a case of acute calculus cholecystitis. His sample was also taken for RT-PCR which was positive for SARS-COV2. He was shifted to the COVID isolation ward and was conservatively managed.
During his course of stay, he developed diarrhoea and acute kidney injury (AKI) and was transferred to the COVID ICU for further management. His two samples on July 16 and 17 were negative. He however developed sudden onset respiratory failure on July 18, 2020. He was initially managed on non-invasive ventilation but did not improve and was subsequently intubated.
His respiratory failure worsened and he developed respiratory and cardiac arrest on July 18. CPR was given according to ACLS protocol but he could not be revived and was declared dead at 23:56 hours.
Dr War said, “The immediate cause of death is Type I Respiratory Failure Acute Kidney failure and the antecedent cause is COVID-19. The contributing cause is Acute Calculus Cholecystitis”.
As for the BSF jawan, Dr War said that Deury had a history of contact with a laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19. He developed symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 and was tested on July 4 where it came as positive. He further said that the deceased BSF jawan was also a known case of Type II diabetes. He was initially managed at BSF Composite Hospital, Umpling but was referred to Civil Hospital in view of worsening breathlessness and persistent cough. He was then transferred to NEIGRIHMS on July 13 in view of a need for ICU care due to worsening symptoms.
On arrival in NEIGRIHMS he was managed in the COVID ICU. He was in acute respiratory distress syndrome, with severe sepsis and multi-organ failure. He did not improve with treatment. He developed respiratory and cardiac failure which did not improve with resuscitative efforts and expired on July 19 at 02:00 hours.
War said that the immediate cause of death is Type I respiratory failure, multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. The antecedent cause is COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome and the contributing cause is Type II diabetes Mellitus.
Meanwhile, Deury was cremated at Jhalupara crematorium on Sunday, evening while Syngai was buried at Lasharai, Ri Bhoi. War expressed gratitude to the Dorbar Shnong for allowing the burial.
According to NEIGRIHMS officiating director Dr P. Bhattacharya, the two COVID patients had comorbidity and were already at high risk in the COVID ICU.
He said while the BSF jawan was a serious patient from the very beginning, Syngai had come for gallbladder surgery and when he was tested, he was found to be positive and kept in isolation.
“Then in isolation, due to failing health he was transferred to COVID ICU and then he improved for sometime but then started deteriorating”, the director disclosed.
Regarding Syngai, Dr Bhattacharya said after the results were negative twice, it was confirmed that he was no more infective but the virus had already damaged his kidney and his lungs and his jaundice had shot up.
He said Syngai died as a complication of the initial viral infection but during the course of his stay the viral load receded and he became RT-PCR negative.
Dr Bhattacharya said, “After he died, we had certified that he died of the complication brought on by COVID-19, however at this point of time, his RT-PCR is negative and he is not infected and not expected to be harmful to the community”.