By Hannah Brockhaus/CNA
Pope Francis began noninvasive ventilation on Friday after experiencing a respiratory crisis that led to a “sudden worsening” of his condition, the Vatican said.
According to a Feb. 28 medical bulletin from the Holy See, after a morning spent in prayer, receiving the Eucharist, and doing respiratory physiotherapy, Pope Francis experienced in the early afternoon “an isolated crisis of bronchospasm” — a tightening of the muscles that line the airways in the lungs, causing wheezing and coughing.
The incident led to “an episode of vomiting with inhalation” aggravating his breathing, the Holy See said.
After his airways were suctioned, the pope was put on a noninvasive mechanical ventilator “with a good response on gas exchange,” the communication said, adding that Pope Francis remained “alert and oriented” and cooperative throughout the procedures.
Friday marked two weeks in the hospital for the 88-year-old Pope Francis, who is suffering from double pneumonia, bronchitis, and other chronic respiratory conditions.
In the two weeks since Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14, doctors have continuously refrained from giving a prognosis, emphasizing that the situation is “complex.”
The Holy See Press Office had said on Thursday that the pope’s health was “improving” under oxygen and respiratory physiotherapy treatment. He continues to do work from the hospital.
