Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital Sunday, continue recovery at the Vatican
Pontiff’s doctor says he will require at least two months of rest and rehabilitation after life-threatening case of pneumonia in both lungs
ROME, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis will be released from hospital on Sunday, after 38 days of battling a life-threatening case of pneumonia in both lungs, his doctors said.
Gemelli medical director Dr. Sergio Alfieri said Saturday that Francis will require at least two months of rest and rehabilitation as he continues recovering at the Vatican.
Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. He later developed a life-threatening case of pneumonia.
Pope Francis’s doctors provided their first in-person update on the pontiff’s condition in a month, a sign that he has made good and steady progress in his battle to recover.
The Saturday evening briefing is the first since February 21, a week after the 88-year-old Francis was brought to Gemelli Hospital. He subsequently experienced several respiratory crises that landed him in critical condition, though he has since stabilized.
In another development, the Vatican announced that 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 on February 14 for what has become the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease, is prone to respiratory problems in winter and had part of one lung removed as a young man.
Doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, 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 him to use a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises in the following days, which required doctors to manually aspirate the 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 was alert and cooperative.
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.
The Times of Israel Community.