Pope Francis had two new episodes of "acute respiratory failure"
Pope Francis experienced “two episodes of acute respiratory failure,” the Vatican said Monday, marking the latest in a series of medical crises the 88-year-old pontiff has endured since he was first hospitalized last month.
Monday’s episodes were caused by “significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus” and a consequent narrowing of the airways, the Vatican said.
Earlier in the day, the pope underwent two bronchoscopies and doctors removed a buildup of secretions.
In the afternoon, Francis was given oxygen through a mask to help with his breathing, according to the Vatican.
Throughout, the pontiff remained alert and cooperative, the Vatican said.
“It was a complicated afternoon,” Vatican sources said Monday evening, adding that the acute respiratory crisis, which lasted for part of the afternoon, is over, and that the pope was resting.
“The accumulation of the mucus is a result of the pneumonia and that causes coughing and spasm as the bronchi try to expel the mucus as it irritates them,” the sources said.
Dr. Theodore Iwashyna, professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University told CNN that a bronchoscopy is a moderately invasive procedure, and that “it is not good” to need two bronchoscopies within a short period of time to manage secretions.
“In a person that’s quite ill and requiring non-invasive ventilatory support, you would usually need to have a good reason to do it,” Iwashyna said, adding that mucus buildup is not a positive sign in a patient with pneumonia.
“As your pneumonia gets better you’ll produce less mucus. Sometimes as your pneumonia gets better you finally get strong enough to cough it up,” he said.
The Vatican sources said Monday that Francis’ blood tests remain the same and his prognosis remains “reserved.”
Dr. Jeremy Faust, a Boston-based emergency physician told CNN the “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” that Vatican sources said was a mask, is meant to help deliver oxygen with a little bit of pressure.
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Cardinal Tagle leads prayer service in Vatican for Pope Francis' health
As Pope Francis was still in critical condition due to double pneumonia, Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines led a prayer service for him in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Tuesday (Rome time).
Tagle, a senior Vatican official, led the service which was attended by pilgrims and senior Church figures.
The Vatican on Tuesday said Pope Francis remains in critical condition for the fourth day running but is stable and has not had any further respiratory crises.
📸: Yara Nardi/Reuters
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