Pope has coffee, rests after setback in recovery requiring further ventilation

Pope Francis had coffee and is reading newspapers today after an alarming setback in his two-week recovery from double pneumonia: Doctors had to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation following a coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit that needed to then be extracted.

Doctors say it will take a day or two to evaluate how and if the Friday afternoon episode impacted Francis’s overall clinical condition. His prognosis remains guarded, meaning he isn’t out of danger.

In its morning update, the Vatican says the 88-year-old pope didn’t have any further respiratory crises overnight: “The night has passed quietly, the pope is resting.” He had coffee in the morning for breakfast, suggesting that he is not dependent on a ventilation mask to breathe and is still eating on his own.

In the late Friday update, the Vatican said Francis suffered an “isolated crisis of bronchial spasm,” a coughing fit in which Francis inhaled vomit, that resulted in a “sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.” Doctors aspirated the vomit and placed Francis on noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

The pope remained conscious and alert at all times and cooperated with the maneuvers to help him recover. He responded well, with a good level of oxygen exchange.