Pope Francis to leave hospital after five weeks fighting life-threatening pneumonia
By Nicole Winfield
Vatican City: Pope Francis will be released from the hospital on Sunday local time after 38 days battling a severe case of pneumonia in both lungs that threatened his life on two occasions.
The 88-year-old pontiff would require at least two months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence at the Vatican, during which time he would be discouraged from meeting in big groups or exerting himself, said Dr Sergio Alfieri, who co-ordinated Francis’ medical team at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
But Francis’ personal doctor, Dr Luigi Carbone, said if he continued his steady improvements and rehabilitation, he should eventually be able to resume all his normal activities.
The Vatican said Pope Francis planned to make his first appearance in more than five weeks on Sunday.Credit: AP
The doctors spoke at a hastily called press conference Saturday evening in the Gemelli hospital atrium, their first in-person update on the pontiff’s condition in a month. They said they were discharging Francis after he registered two weeks of stability and increasing progress in his recovery.
“The Holy Father would have wanted to go home a few days ago, as even he realised he was improving, breathing better, and that he could work longer. But I have to say he was an exemplary patient,” Alfieri said. “He listened to the suggestions from me, Dr Carbone and the rest of the team.”
The doctors confirmed he would be released on Sunday, after first offering a blessing to the faithful from his hospital suite, the first time he will have been seen by the public since he was admitted on February 14. They provided details on the severity of the infection, which he is still being treated for, and Alfieri noted that not all patients who developed such a severe case of double pneumonia survived, much less be released from the hospital.
“When he was in really bad shape, it was difficult that he was in good spirits,” Alfieri said. “But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, ‘I’m still alive’ we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humour back.”
Alfieri confirmed that Francis was still having trouble speaking due to the damage to his lungs and the time he spent on supplemental oxygen and ventilation. But he said such problems were normal and predicted his voice would return.
“When you have a bilateral pneumonia, your lungs get damaged and the respiratory muscles are in difficulty. You lose your voice a bit, like when you speak too high,” Alfieri said. “As for all patients, young or old but especially older ones, you need time for it to come back as it was.”
Alert and co-operative
The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli after a bout of bronchitis worsened.
Doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anaemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions.
The most serious setbacks began on February 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing fit and inhaled vomit, requiring the use of a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises a few days later, which required doctors to manually aspirate “copious” amounts of mucus, at which point he began sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluids.
At no point did he lose consciousness, and doctors reported he always remained alert and co-operative.
Over the past two weeks, he has stabilised and registered slight improvements. He no longer needs to wear the ventilation mask at night, and is cutting back his reliance on high flows of supplemental oxygen during the day. Doctors said the pope, who uses a wheelchair, had probably lost some weight during his hospital stay.
At his home in the Santa Marta hotel, next to St Peter’s Basilica, Francis will have access to supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed, though Carbone said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less supplemental oxygen.
“The Holy Father is improving, and we hope soon he can resume his normal activity,” Carbone said.
First appearance expected
While the pneumonia infection has been successfully treated, Francis will continue to take oral medication for several months to treat the fungal infection in his lungs.
Pope Francis in the private chapel on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.Credit: Holy See Press Office
Alfieri said it was actually safer for him to continue his recovery and rehabilitation at the Vatican since hospitals “are the worst place to convalesce because it’s the place where you can catch the most infections”.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to confirm any upcoming events, including a scheduled audience on April 8 with King Charles III or Francis’ participation in Easter services at the end of the month. But Carbone said he hoped Francis might be well enough to travel to Turkey at the end of May to participate in an important ecumenical anniversary.
The Vatican announced that before returning to the Vatican, Francis would appear on Sunday morning to bless the faithful from his 10th-floor suite at the hospital. While Francis released an audio message on March 6 and the Vatican distributed a photo of him on March 16, Sunday’s blessing will be the first live appearance since Francis was admitted for what has become the longest hospitalisation of his 12-year papacy.
with Trisha Thomas and Giada Zampano
AP
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