Pope Francis has been hospitalised for over a week after he suffered pneumonia. His condition is critical as, according to the Vatican, doctors have said that the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis.
Pope Francis was in critical condition on Saturday as he was suffering from a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican said. The 88-year-old Francis has been hospitalised for a week with pneumonia and a complex lung infection. He also received blood transfusions after tests showed low platelet counts associated with anemia, the Vatican said in a late update.
The Vatican. in a statement, said, “The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved.” Doctors have said Francis’ condition is touch-and-go and that he is by no means out of danger.
They have warned that the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia. As of Friday, there was no evidence of any sepsis, and The statement further added that Francis was responding to the various drugs he is taking, the pope’s medical team said in their first in-depth update on the pope’s condition.
Francis, who is suffering from a chronic lung ailment, was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. They prescribed “absolute rest” and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when he needed it.
Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of medicine and surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, said the biggest threat facing Francis was that some of the germs that are currently located in his respiratory system pass into the bloodstream, causing sepsis. Sepsis can lead to organ failure and death.
“Sepsis, with his respiratory problems and his age, would be really difficult to get out of,” Alfieri told a news conference Friday at Gemelli. “The English say ‘knock on wood,’ we say ‘touch iron. ‘ Everyone touch what they want,” he said as he tapped the microphone. “But this is the real risk in these cases: that these germs pass to the bloodstream.”
“He knows he’s in danger,” Alfieri added. “And he told us to relay that.” Meanwhile, the Vatican hierarchy went on the defensive to tamp down rumours and speculation that Francis might decide to resign.
There is no provision in canon law for what to do if a pope becomes incapacitated. Francis said that he had written a letter of resignation that would have been invoked if he had been medically incapable of making such a decision. The pope remains fully conscious and alert, eating and working.
(With AP Inputs)
