MOTHER Teresa, fighting heart, kidney and lung problems, was in critical condition yesterday following coronary artery surgery, her chief doctor said.
Dr D.P. Shetty said her heart pacemaker, fitted in 1989 had been reprogrammed to boost cardiac output to allow her kidneys to function better.
"She is still critically ill. You have to understand she has got a problem with her heart, kidney and lung," he said. But he told reporters that she was "not in renal failure".
"We are trying to take care of everything. She is stable," added Dr Shetty 0.3, who heads Mother Teresa's medical team at the B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre in Calcutta.
The clinic's administrator, Mr A.K. Chatterjee, said earlier that Mother Teresa (86) was conscious and had spoken to medical staff.
He said the renal and lung problems had forced doctors to delay treatment to correct an irregular heart rhythm. Doctors have said the long standing lung and renal problems could complicate her heart condition and recovery.
Mr Shetty said yesterday that doctors were trying to correct with drugs her irregular heart rhythm.
Mother Teresa, known for her devotion to the poor, destitute and dying, had surgery last Friday to clear two coronary artery blockages.
She was moved to the Birla clinic last Tuesday after entering the nearby Woodlands Nursing Home on November 22nd.
Nuns at the Calcutta headquarters of her Missionaries of Charity order prayed for her recovery yesterday in a meeting that included Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists.