Pope Francis will be released from the hospital on Sunday, after fighting for 38 days in both lungs against a life -threatening case of pneumonia, his doctors said.
The medical director Dr. Sergio Alfieri from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, in which the 88-year-old is treated, said that Francis would need calm and rehabilitation at least two months while he is recovering in the Vatican.
The Pope was admitted to Gemelli on February 14 after bronchitis deteriorated. He later developed a life -threatening case of pneumonia.
The Pope’s doctors made their first personal update available in a month in one month, in a sign that he made good and constant progress in his fight against double pneumonia.
The briefing on Saturday evening has been the first since February 21, a week after Francis had been taken to the hospital. Then he experienced several respiratory crises that landed in a critical condition, even though he has stabilized since then.
In another development, the Vatican announced that Francis would appear on Sunday morning to bless believers from his suite on the 10th floor in the hospital. While Francis published an audio message on March 6 and the Vatican distributed a photo of him on March 16, the blessing will be the first live appearance on Sunday since Francis was approved for the longest hospital stay of his 12-year papacy.
Francis, who has a chronic lung disease, is susceptible to breathing problems in winter and was removed as a young man part of a lung, was approved after deteriorated bronchitis.
The doctors initially diagnosed a complex bacterial, virus and mushroom daily infection and soon after pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low platelets and the insertion of the kidney failure, which later dissolved after two blood transfusions.
The most serious setbacks began on February 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing and an inhalative vomit, which required that he used a non -invasive mechanical ventilation mask to breathe. In the following days he suffered two other respiratory crises, whereby doctors managed the mucus manually. At that time he started sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clarify the accumulation of liquids.
At no time did the Pope lose consciousness, and the doctors reported that he was vigilant and cooperative.
Francis has stabilized and recorded slight improvements in the past two weeks, the Vatican press office reported. He no longer has to wear the ventilation mask at night and reduces his trust in high additional oxygen substances during the day.
