Pope’s chronic lung condition plus infection are serious, doctor says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While Pope Francis’ life is not in immediate danger, the level of multiple infections in his lungs means he is not completely “out of danger,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of medical and surgical sciences at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

The biggest risk he faces is sepsis, that is, if the infection that is currently localized only in his lungs passes into his bloodstream and begins to affect the rest of his body’s organs, the doctor told reporters in the hospital atrium Feb. 21.

Pope Francis will need to stay hospitalized for at least another week, he said, so doctors can continue administering a wide range of drug and clinical therapies aimed at eradicating the viral, bacterial and fungal infections in his lungs as well as aid his breathing with low doses of cortisone. The pope does have supplemental oxygen available to take in with a nasal cannula when he needs it, he added, specifying he is “not hooked up to any machines.”

Alfieri, the surgeon who performed Pope Francis’ abdominal surgeries in 2021 and 2023, and a large team of specialized medical personnel have been following the pope since he arrived at Gemelli Feb. 14 after more than a week of suffering from bronchitis and difficulty breathing.

The pope had been receiving care at his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, from Dr. Luigi Carbone, his personal physician, and his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, for the bronchial infection and “dyspnea” or difficulty breathing, Alfieri said.

Because the pope wanted to be taken care of at his residence, Carbone said, multiple specialists came by, particularly because of the pope’s previous chronic lung conditions: bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, caused by years of respiratory problems and repeated bouts of bronchitis. These conditions cannot be cured, but they can be “controlled,” Alfieri said.

These chronic conditions can have “flare-ups,” Carbone said, “plus with his age, by definition, he is a fragile patient.”

The treatment required the use of cortisone antibiotic therapy, Alfieri said, which unfortunately also lowers the patient’s immune system and affects glucose levels. The pope does not have diabetes, he added, but it shows the need to keep dosages low, but high enough to be effective.

When it was no longer possible to take care of these problems “at home,” he said, the pope was brought to the hospital.

When Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital, Alfieri said, tests showed an infection in his respiratory airways and not in his lungs. However, a CT scan conducted later showed the pope had double pneumonia, which was announced to the press Feb. 18.

The medical therapy underway was not changed, he said, but was strengthened. It will take time to now see how it goes, even though tests have shown there has been a slight improvement the past two days, he has no fever and his condition is much better than when he arrived.

“But the question is, ‘Is the pope out of danger?’ No, the pope is not out of danger” because of multiple factors: the pope’s age and a severe infection that resulted in double pneumonia, Alfieri said.

However, “if you ask, ‘Is his life in immediate danger?’ The answer is still, no,” he added.

“He is not bedridden,” Alfieri said. The pope is mentally sharp and “in good spirits.” He gets out of bed and can move around. He also reads and works with his two or three closest collaborators who come by.

For example, he just spent 20 minutes praying in the chapel near his room today, the doctor said. However, he is also very ill and like anyone with double pneumonia, does not feel like doing too much.

His appetite is good, and he is eating, Carbone added.

It takes time to get over pneumonia, Alfieri said. The pope will be kept at the hospital for as long as hospital-level care is required and until the pope can return safely to his Vatican residence and be taken care of by his personal doctor and nurse.

In the meantime, the Vatican officially announced the cancellation of the pope’s appointments through Feb. 23, including his planned celebration of Mass that day for the Jubilee of Deacons, which will be celebrated instead by Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

A Vatican source had said his written message for Lent, which begins March 5, was expected to be released next week.

As of Feb. 21, there was no word about the Sunday Angelus and whether the pope would make an appearance at the window of the suite of rooms reserved for him on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital or if he would release a text to be published like he had done Feb. 16.

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