Pope Francis' life was in danger twice during his hospitalization, his doctors revealed.
Pope Francis was discharged yesterday, Sunday (23.3.25) from the hospital where he had been admitted with difficulty breathing on February 14 and was later diagnosed by his doctors with pneumonia in both lungs.
The Pope had been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome with bronchitis. His health condition steadily deteriorated and he was eventually diagnosed with double pneumonia.
Doctors were very concerned about his outcome, given his age (he is 88 years old) and the fact that part of one of his lungs had been removed when he was a child.
On February 17, the head of the Roman Catholic Church suffered two episodes of acute respiratory failure and required a ventilator. For three weeks, doctors were tight-lipped about his condition. He was taken off the ventilator on March 4, and on March 7, doctors announced that his condition was now “stable.” However, it remained critical.
However, with intensive respiratory and motor physiotherapy, he began to regain strength. In the last week of his hospitalization, his mechanical ventilation was discontinued at night. The oxygen he needed during the day was also reduced.
Two months of recovery
His doctors said yesterday that Pope Francis had been asking for days to be discharged from the hospital. They also said they were not concerned about his return to the Vatican. In fact, “the Holy See has a medical emergency service that operates 24 hours a day,” they stressed.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of the Gemelli Medical Service who coordinated the pontiff's medical team, said that not all patients who suffer such severe double pneumonia survive.
He also said that the Pope still has difficulty speaking due to damage to his lungs and respiratory muscles. However, such problems are expected, especially in elderly patients.
Dr. Alfieri predicted that the pope's voice would be restored. However, it would take two months for him to fully recover.
Source: newsit
