Pope Francis experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure yesterday and had to resume receiving oxygen through a ventilator as he continues his battle with double pneumonia. Source: NCR Online.
“Today, the Holy Father presented two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” said a Vatican bulletin released overnight at almost 7 pm local time (5am AEDT).
During the course of his treatment, the Pope’s medical team performed two broncoscopies to examine the pontiff’s airways to treat the mucus and other secretions from his lungs.
“The Holy Father has always remained vigilant, oriented and collaborative,” said the statement, which noted that the Pope’s prognosis “remains reserved.”
While the Pope’s blood test values remain stable, his condition remains fragile, Vatican sources said.
“This is the suffering of a person who is out of breath. The doctors have always talked about a complex picture, which has its own criticalities,” one of the sources said after the release of the latest bulletin.
“The doctors had a reason to be cautious. The crises lasted part of the afternoon.”
A source said they were two separate episodes. “The blood test values remain unchanged, there was no growth of white blood cells, the infection is not growing but they are the consequences of the ongoing infection.”
Despite some signs of stability, Vatican sources acknowledged the ongoing risks associated with the 88-year-old pontiff’s health.
“The picture was complex and remains complex. It takes time to overcome pneumonia and they are open to difficulties,” one of the sources explained. “This is not a situation where you can declare him out of danger.”
Today’s respiratory failure is the third reported such episode since the pontiff entered hospital on February 14.
The most recent one occurred on Friday and was considered a serious setback for his ongoing recovery efforts, although reports since then had trended in a positive direction.
On Sunday, the doctors stopped using the mechanical ventilation, which has now resumed to treat the latest episode.
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Pope Francis experiences two new episodes of acute respiratory failure in hospital (By Christopher White and Camillo Barone, NCR Online)
