150-kg man aged 26 from Puducherry administered anaesthesia for weight loss surgery at Chennai hospital, dies

PUDUCHERRY/CHENNAI: A 26-year-old man from

Puducherry

weighing 150kg, who was admitted to a private hospital at Pammal, a suburb in Chennai, for metabolic and bariatric (weight loss) surgery, reportedly died on Tuesday night after he developed complications when he was administered

anaesthesia

before the surgery on Monday. The deceased was identified as S Hemachandran, an IT staff working from home.
Shankar Nagar police issued a community service register receipt after Hemachandran’s father D Selvanathan, 52 from Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Puducherry lodged a complaint against

Dr Perungo

and his assistant and B P Jain Hospital at Pammal.

Selvanathan in his complaint said he and his son approached Dr Perungo at Rela Hospital for

weight loss surgery

for his son after watching the doctor’s videos on YouTube in April last year.
He said the doctor advised his son, a diabetic, to undergo a series of tests before undergoing weight loss surgery. He said he again visited the doctor in February this year and explained that he could not afford to pay for the surgery. The doctor told him that his personal assistant will get in touch with him. The doctor’s PA called him and said the surgery will cost Rs eight lakh at Rela Hospital and Rs four lakh at BP Jain Hospital.
Selvanathan said his son underwent all necessary tests at Rela Hospital on April 3 but the doctors decided to postpone the surgery as his son’s blood sugar level was high. The doctors decided to perform the surgery after his son’s blood sugar level comes down. Selvanathan said his son was admitted to BP Jain Hospital at 11am on April 21. His son was taken to the operation theatre at 9.30am on April 22. He said Dr Perungo told him at 10.15am that his son developed complications as soon as the doctor administered him anaesthesia. The doctor told him that his son was taken in an ambulance to Rela Hospital at Chrompet.
Selvanathan said he was not aware what happened to his son and insisted the police initiate stringent action against the doctor, his assistant, and BP Jain Hospital.