https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/10/thai-king-still-unstable/


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Thailand’s Royal Household Bureau on Wednesday said the overall condition of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand is “still unstable”. The palace said King Bhumibol’s liver is not functioning normally and his pulse has quickened while his blood pressure has dipped, Channel News Asia reported. Following blood tests, the king also showed signs of infection. In a statement, the palace said the king remains on a ventilator and continues to receive crrt (continuous renal replacement therapy) treatment. It said doctors were using medicine to control the king’s blood pressure and antibiotics to reduce the level of increased acidity in his blood. On Sunday, doctors placed King Bhumibol on a ventilator after the 88-year-old monarch’s blood pressure dropped. The doctors were at the time preparing him for hemodialysis treatment and changing a tube to drain fluid from his spine. The palace said the king’s blood pressure dropped occasionally during the dialysis, a treatment to cleanse the blood of toxins, excess salt, and fluids. Since Monday, members of the public have been arriving in droves to the Siriraj Hospital, where their beloved monarch is being treated for a number of illnesses, including lung infection and acute kidney failure. On Wednesday, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was quoted as saying that the king’s successor and son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, was returning to Thailand from Germany. The prince would also be meeting Prayuth, who is the military chief. Thailand’s stock market and currency have tumbled and the prime minister has canceled an overseas trip amid concerns about the long-ailing king’s health. The Stock Exchange of Thailand’s benchmark fell nearly 7 percent Wednesday afternoon before recovering somewhat for a 4.1 percent loss for the day. Thai stocks have slid daily since Sunday, when the royal palace announced that Bhumibol’s condition was unstable, the first time it has used that phrase regarding the king’s health. Also Wednesday, the Thai baht fell 1.1 percent to end at 35.76 to a dollar. Bhumibol, 88, is the world’s longest reigning monarch. He has spent most of the last decade in a hospital. Additional reporting from the Associated Press