'Rahul Mahajan does not test positive for drugs'

New Delhi, June 03: Rahul Mahajan did not test positive for any drug in a toxic screen carried out on him, a spokesman for Apollo Hospital said today.

Tests were done for over one dozen known drugs, including cocaine, and all tests were either negative or showed normal levels, hospital spokesman Anupam Sibbal told reporters.

The blood alcohol level also was ''very low'', he informed.

Doctors have, however, not been able to ascertain the cause of Mr Mahajan's condition, he said.

''I cannot comment on what was ingested or what triggered his ill health,'' he said. The Hospital had carried out the standard drug screen which covered known drugs, he added.

The tests for ''stomach fluids'' (poisoning) is not done by us, but by the forensic laboratory, he informed.

Doctors attending on him were happy that though they did not know the cause of his illness, and as such the antidote that was to be given to him, Mr Mahajan's health had made ''significant improvement'' over the last 24 hours, he said.

Mr Mahajan was able to talk coherently and even asked for water this morning, Dr Sibbal said. ''He is very well oriented in terms of time, space and person,'' he said. His blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, blood sugar and urine output have stabilised. The liver also has shown improvement.

Mr Mahajan, son of the late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, was no longer on intrusive ventilator support under which he was put immediately after he was brought to the hospital early yesterday, he said.

Oxygen was being given through a non-intrusive device since morning, he informed.

Dr Sibbal said the 31-year-old was very sick when he was brought to the hospital and needed multi-organ support to survive.

To repeated questions about what caused the illness, he said the hospital had no idea of what could have caused it.

''There are only limited tests available to identify toxic materials in the body. These tests, which are not all inclusive, have proved negative,'' he added.

UNI

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