Girish Karnad Dies Of Multiple Organ Failure; Everything About The Condition!

Bollywood mourns the death of veteran actor and playwright Girish Karnad, as he breathed his last on Monday, June 10. After suffering from a prolonged illness, the 81-year-old actor succumbed to multiple organ failure at his residence in Bengaluru. Recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards, Karnad will be remembered for his versatility in acting across all mediums.

What is Multiple Organ Failure?

Multiple organ failure, also known as Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, refers to altered organ function in an acutely ill individual who is in need of medical intervention to achieve homeostasis.

Causes and Symptoms

Multiple Organ Failure usually results from the following conditions –

• Sepsis – A fatal complication caused due to an infection

Symptoms include –

• Low blood pressure

• Skin discolouration

• Organ dysfunction

• Septic Shock – A widespread infection that causes organ failure and reduces your blood pressure drastically

Symptoms include –

• Excessive low blood pressure

• Low body temperature

• Rapid heart rate

• Systematic Inflammatory Response Syndrome – An inflammatory state that affects the entire body

• Abdominal Compartment Syndrome – A rare condition resulting from abnormally increased pressure in the abdomen

Symptoms include –

• Rapid heart rate

• Abdominal distension

• Difficulty breathing on a ventilator

• Polytrauma – A medical term used to define an individual who has been subjected to multiple injuries, such as a traumatic head injury and serious burn

What happens when you have Multiple Organ Failure?

When one of your body organs fail – for instance, the heart – it affects other organs of the body as well. Due to the lack of oxygenated blood supply from the heart, your kidneys fail to function properly, ultimately leading to kidney failure. A number of things happen to the patient – infections, shock bleeding, trauma, ischemia, and other disorders and injuries. The symptoms become so overwhelming that the body starts to shut down vital organs one by one, depending on the type of injury, age of the patient, and related factors.

End-stage liver failure can also trigger multiple organ failure if diligent medical care is not administered at the right time.

Is there a cure?

Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is a complex condition that occurs in critically ill patients. The condition is rarely curable. As of now, there are no devices or drugs to reverse multiple organ failure. Doctors are observant when looking for symptoms of sepsis and organ failure, and may recommend supportive treatment to prevent multiple organ failure.

Supportive or palliative care means supporting the body so that it can carry out its functions. For instance, if a person has trouble breathing and requires support to the lungs, he/she may be given a breathing tube.

The mortality rate for multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is very high, roughly varying between 30% and 100%, where the chances of survival are reduced as more of your organs are affected.