After 38 days of fighting a case of deadly pneumonia in the two lungs, Pope Francis will be released from the hospital on Sunday, said his doctors.
Francis will however need at least two months of rest and rehabilitation when he continues to get back to the Vatican, Gemelli’s medical director said on Saturday, Dr. Sergio Alfieri.
Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after worsening of bronchitis. He then developed a fatal case of pneumonia.
Pope Francis “Doctors provided their first update in person on the pontiff’s state in a month, in a sign that he made good progress in his battle against double pneumonia.
Saturday night The briefing has been the first since February 21, A week after Francis, 88 years old, was brought to the hospital. He subsequently experienced several respiratory crises which landed him in critical condition, although he has since stabilized.
In another development, the Vatican announced that Francis would appear on Sunday morning to bless the faithful of his 10th floor suite at the hospital.
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While Francis released An audio message March 6 and the The Vatican distributed a photo From him on March 16, the blessing of Sunday will be the first appearance live since Francis was admitted on February 14 for what became the longest hospitalization of its 12 -year papacy.
The Argentinian pope, who suffers from a chronic pulmonary disease, is subject to respiratory problems in winter and has had a part of a lung as a young man withdrawn was admitted after a bronchitis has aggravated.
Doctors first diagnosed an infection of the bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tracts and shortly after, pneumonia in the two lungs. Blood tests have shown signs of anemia, low blood plates and the start of kidney failure, which all resolved later after two blood transfusions.
The most serious setbacks began on February 28, when Francis experienced a Acute cough adjustment And an inhaled vomit, forcing that he uses a non -invasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe.
He suffered two More respiratory crises In the following days, which forced doctors to manually suck the mucus, how much he started sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clean the accumulation of liquids.
At no time did he lose consciousness and the doctors said he was alert and cooperative.
In the past two weeks, he stabilized and recorded slight improvements, the Vatican press office reported.
He no longer needs to wear the ventilation mask at night and reduces his dependence to high additional oxygen flows during the day.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press
