VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis had a quiet evening in hospital, the Vatican mentioned on Sunday (Feb 23), the morning after revealing the 88-year-old was in a “critical” condition.
The Holy See had late on Saturday reported the alarming information that the pope, who has been in hospital since Feb 14, had suffered a chronic respiratory assault and required blood transfusions.
“The evening handed peacefully, the pope rested,” the Holy See mentioned in a brief replace on Sunday morning.
The Argentine pontiff, head of the Catholic Church since 2013, was initially admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with bronchitis, however it developed into double pneumonia.
“The Holy Father’s situation continues to be important, due to this fact, as defined (on Friday), the pope is just not out of hazard,” the Vatican mentioned in a daily medical bulletin on Saturday night.
“In the intervening time the prognosis is reserved,” it mentioned.
Francis continues to be alert and “spent the day in an armchair even when he was struggling greater than” the day earlier than, the Vatican mentioned.
It mentioned he had on Saturday morning suffered a “extended asthmatic respiratory disaster, which additionally required the appliance of high-flow oxygen”.
Day by day blood assessments additionally “confirmed thrombocytopenia, related to anaemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions”, it added.
Thrombocytopenia is a situation that happens when the platelet rely in somebody’s blood is just too low, which may trigger hassle stopping bleeding – and could be life-threatening.
Blood or platelet transfusions, delivered by way of an intravenous (IV) line right into a blood vessel, are given to people who find themselves both bleeding closely or at very excessive danger of bleeding, in keeping with the US Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH).
“The pope will get worse,” headlined Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday morning, whereas La Repubblica described it because the “darkest day” on the Vatican.
“The scenario is turning into extra worrying,” Fabrizio Pregliasco, a number one Italian virologist, advised La Stampa day by day, including that “the subsequent few hours and days can be essential”.
