Pope Francis has participated remotely in the Vatican's spiritual retreat after getting good news from his doctors. They upgraded his prognosis and say he is no longer in imminent danger of death as a result of pneumonia. The 88-year-old pope isn't out of the woods yet, however. Doctors are still cautious and have decided to keep him hospitalized for several more days to receive treatment, not to mention a period of rehabilitation he will likely need. The Vatican said Francis woke up Tuesday morning just after 8 a.m. after a quiet night.
Doctors said Pope Francis is no longer in imminent danger of death as a result of pneumonia but have decided to keep him hospitalized for several more days to receive treatment. In a late update, the doctors said on Monday the 88-year-old pope remains stable and has consolidated improvements in recent days, as determined by blood tests and positive responses to drug treatments. Francis followed the Vatican's weeklong spiritual retreat via videoconference as he continued his recovery from double pneumonia and looked ahead to the 12th anniversary of his election amid questions about what the future of his papacy might look like.
The Vatican says Pope Francis is in stable condition and breathing with just the help of supplemental oxygen after respiratory crises a day earlier. But he will resume using a ventilation mask at night. In its late update Tuesday, the Vatican said Francis had no further respiratory episodes during a day spent praying, resting and undergoing respiratory physiotherapy. Doctors said that they would put the noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask back on him while he sleeps, but that during the day he was only using high flows of supplemental oxygen. Doctors said his prognosis remains guarded, meaning he is not out of danger.
The Vatican says Pope Francis suffered a coughing fit hat resulted in him breathing in vomit, requiring non-invasive mechanical ventilation. The Vatican says he responded well, with a good level of gas exchange, and remained conscious and alert at all times. The episode, reported late Friday by the Vatican, resulted in doctors keeping his prognosis from a two-week battle with double pneumonia as guarded. It marked a setback after two days of increasingly upbeat reports about an improved condition.
