Thai Princess remains unconscious from severe heart arrhythmia
- Physicians concluded Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati had a severe arrhythmia due to inflammation of the heart caused by mycoplasma infection
- The 44-year-old princess lost consciousness in northeastern Thailand on December 14, and was airlifted to Bangkok to receive treatment
Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati remains unconscious more than three weeks after she collapsed due to a heart condition, the palace said.
Treating physicians have concluded she had a severe arrhythmia due to inflammation of the heart caused by mycoplasma infection, the Bureau of the Royal Household said in a statement on Sunday.
The 44-year-old princess lost consciousness in northeastern Thailand on December 14 while training her dog for a competition, and was airlifted to Bangkok to receive treatment. She is currently being treated with medicines including antibiotics, and on medical equipment to assist with the functioning of her heart, lungs and kidneys, according to the palace.
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Thai princess under intensive medical care for heart, kidney and lung problems
Around the capital and across the kingdom, books of well-wishing for her recovery were laid out for Thais last month after she was admitted to hospital.
Senior leaders including the prime minister visited her in hospital after she was admitted for treatment.
Bajrakitiyabha, the oldest of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s seven children from three different marriages, has been seen by some analysts as a potential heir to the throne, which would make her the first female monarch of the Southeast Asian nation. The king, 70, has not appointed an heir since taking the throne in 2016.
While the 1924 palace succession law stipulates the heir to the throne should be male, an amendment to the constitution in 1974 allowed for a daughter of the royal line to ascend the throne if a successor had not been named.
