“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father have also remained stable today,” confirms the medical part about the health of Pope Francis issued at 18.31 of this Sunday, which clears the doubts about his recovery after the Episode of Broncoospasm that he suffered on Friday. In fact, as a precaution, doctors had set a period of 48 hours, which has been fulfilled today, to determine whether or not the general picture had been aggravated, and the conclusion is positive. “There have been no direct consequences” of the Broncoospasmo, Vatican sources point out. The Pope’s general health picture is still complex, but the adjective “critical” has not reappeared in the parties, a phase that was taken for Thursday.
The fear was that the accidental entry of vomiting in the respiratory tract, during the crisis on Friday, would have unleashed a new infection and complicated the pneumonia suffered by the pontiff, but everything indicates that it has not been so. It remains as an isolated episode that was resolved on time.
The Medical Bulletin indicates that Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 88 and was admitted on February 14 at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, still does not fever and “has not needed non -invasive mechanical ventilation, only high flow oxygen therapy.” That is, already breathe better. He has abandoned the most intense air supply, although he has never been intubated, and only resorts to assistance with nasal cannulas.
In any case, the doctors maintain the reserved prognosis, “given the complexity of the clinical picture.” Prudence predominates, because these 16 days of hospitalization have already shown that Francisco’s health is fragile and there have already been two scares when he seemed to recover. One, on the 22nd, a prolonged respiratory crisis, with symptoms of anemia and slight renal failure. After recovering from that relapse, the second difficult moment was the Broncoospasm this Friday, which now has been left behind. In any case, the Pope has a long stay in the hospital to his total recovery, always with the risk of new incidents.
The Vatican had already sent in the first statement of the day reassuring signals. He informed that the Pope had spent the night without novelty and this morning he has received the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and his right hand, Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general matters. In the afternoon it is added that Francisco has attended Mass “together with those who take care of him during these hospitalization days.”
For the rest, the Vatican explained yesterday, as he has done so far, that Bergoglio has always been aware and eats normally. He gets up and moves through the apartment where he stays, on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Hospital. Francisco is also performing respiratory physiotherapy for four days, which is considered another step in the slow path of recovery. Since he was admitted he has been working almost every day, and although yesterday he rested this morning he has already received Paracolin and Peña Parra again. The Vatican has announced daily appointments and other decisions.
Friday’s incident confirms what the medical team warned in its only press conference, on February 21: the life of the Pope “is not in danger, but is not out of danger.” It also reinforces the idea that, in the best case, Francisco’s stay in the hospital will be quite long and then require a close medical follow -up. That is, after more than two weeks of hospitalization and a very uncertain recovery period, in which the Pope will have to exercise his position minimum and from the hospital.
