A patient undergoing treatment at the Medical Trust Hospital died in mysterious circumstances on Wednesday. A case of unnatural death has been registered at the South police station.
It is alleged that Kannan, 29, son of Appukuttan Nair, Geetanjali, Padamugal, Vazhakala, died due to an overdose of anaesthesia. The patient’s relatives lodged a complaint of unnatural death.
Kannan was admitted to Sunrise Hospital on Sunday after he was injured in a motorcycle accident. Hospital authorities said he would require surgery on the broken thumb of his left hand. He was discharged on Monday and admitted to Medical Trust Hospital on Tuesday. He underwent surgery at the hospital on Tuesday, said the police.
The superintendent of Medical Trust Hospital denied that the patient was administered an overdose of anaesthesia. She said the patient had recovered consciousness after surgery, but his temperature rose suddenly.
He developed malignant hyperpyrexia leading to circulatory collapse and death.
She said the patient might have been genetically predisposed to the rare condition. Patients may experience malignant hyperpyrexia under extreme physical stress. The hospital authorities were waiting for the post-mortem report, she said.