Vajpayee's health worsens

New Delhi, Feb 6(IANS): Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's health worsened Friday with doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) putting him on artificial ventilation.

"He continues to have lower respiratory tract infection and that has worsened since morning. He has been put on mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU)," AIIMS medical superintendent D.K. Sharma told.

Mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous breathing and is a life saving intervention.

Sharma said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran's health was being monitored by a team of doctors.

Vajpayee, 84, was admitted to the VIP ICU of the AIIMS after he complained of difficulty in breathing Tuesday night.

"All his basic parameters, including blood pressure, are normal," Sharma added.