Doctors treating Pope Francis give first briefing on his condition
Doctors treating Pope Francis have said that the pontiff is “not out of danger” and will require at least another week of hospitalisation. They added he is not at immediate risk of death, but indicated that the situation is still precarious and that the development of sepsis is a concern.
“Is the Pope out of danger? No, he’s not out of danger,” said Doctor Sergio Alfieri, director of the medical surgical department of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and head of the Pope’s medical team there.
He spoke with journalists on the afternoon of 21 February in the first press conference doctors have given since Pope Francis was admitted to the facility on 14 February due to persistent bronchitis.
“Right now he is not at risk of dying, but the situation is realistically this, [that] the door is open to both possibilities,” Alfieri said.
He explained that the Pope was initially treated for a cold in the Vatican, which, given his age and his active schedule, developed into bronchitis that could no longer be treated there, and therefore required hospitalisation.
After being admitted to Gemelli, the Pope, who is especially vulnerable to respiratory illnesses after having part of one lung removed due to a serious bout of pneumonia as a young Jesuit, was diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia.
In terms of his current status, “the asthmatic bronchitis remains, the chronic disease remains,” Alfieri said, adding that the Pope “knows that the situation is serious” and that “sometimes he can’t breathe”.
However, he said the Pope is currently breathing entirely on his own and is in good humour, often cracking jokes, while he also reads, works and moves around the room with assistance, sitting in a chair or going to the chapel to pray.
More: https://thecatholicherald.com/doctors-treating-pope-give-first-briefing-on-his-condition/
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