Jayalalithaa Suffers Cardiac Arrest, Being Monitored by Team of Experts at Apollo Hospital

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest late on Sunday, Chennai’s Apollo Hospital confirmed hours after her party said she had completely recovered.

"The honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospitals, suffered a cardiac arrest this evening.

"She is being treated and monitored by a team of experts, including cardiologists, pulmonologist and critical care specialists," Chief Operating Officer and head of transformation of Apollo Hospital Dr Subbaiah Viswanathan said in a statement.

Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, too tweeted about the 68-year-old's health.

Earlier, Sangita had said Jayalalithaa is "critical" and added that she was was on extracorporeal membrane heart assist device.

Top sources told CNN-News18 that the AIADMK leader has been put on cardiac assist system and the next 12 hours are crucial.

The 68-year-old leader suffered the cardiac arrest hours after AIADMK said that Jayalalithaa will return home "soon" as an AIIMS expert team has confirmed that she has completely recovered after over two months of hospitalisation.

Paramilitary forces have been asked to remain on standby in and around Tamil Nadu, sources told CNN-News18.

Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao left for Chennai soon after the statement by Apollo. "The Governor, who attended a Navy Day event in Mumbai this evening, left for Chennai at 8.25 PM after getting intimation of the developments," a senior Raj Bhawan official told PTI.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Vidyasagar Rao and enquired about the health of Jayalalithaa.

During the 10-minute telephonic conversation, Rao briefed Singh about the health condition of the Chief Minister and conveyed that doctors attending to her were taking all necessary steps.

Jayalalithaa was hospitalised on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. The hospital, which had been issuing bulletins on her health status, has said she was being treated for infection.

Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr C Prathap Reddy had recently said that Jayalalithaa was in good health and was speaking using a valve attached to the tracheotomy tube.

(With PTI inputs)