Pope’s chronic lung condition plus infection are serious, doctor says
While Pope Francis’ life is not in immediate danger, the level of multiple infections in his lungs means he is not completely “out of danger,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of medical and surgical sciences at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
The biggest risk he faces is sepsis, that is, if the infection that is currently localized only in his lungs passes into his bloodstream and begins to affect the rest of his body’s organs, the doctor told reporters in the hospital atrium Feb. 21.
Pope Francis will need to stay hospitalized for at least another week, he said, so doctors can continue administering a wide range of drug and clinical therapies aimed at eradicating the viral, bacterial and fungal infections in his lungs as well as aid his breathing with low doses of cortisone. The pope does have supplemental oxygen available to take in with a nasal cannula when he needs it, he added, specifying he is “not hooked up to any machines.”