Pope 'critical' after health.deteriorates, says Vatican

Pope Francis is in a critical condition after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican has said.

- TARA COBHAM

The pontiff, 88, who has been in hospital for a week with a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed a condition associated with anaemia, the Vatican said in a late update yesterday.

Warning that “the pope is not out of danger”, the statement marked the first time the Vatican has described Francis’s condition as “critical” after his health deteriorated over the past 24 hours.

"The Holy Father remains alert and has spent the day in a chair, though he is more unwell than yesterday. At the moment, the prognosis is reserved," the Vatican added, suggesting the pope’s prognosis is in flux and requires close observation.

Francis’s doctors have warned that the main threat facing him would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can occur as a complication of pneumonia – and can lead to organ failure and death.

As of Friday, there was no evidence of any sepsis, and Francis was responding to the various drugs he is taking, the pope's medical team said in their first in-depth update on the pope's condition.

Francis, who has chronic lung disease, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on 14 February after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened.

Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. They prescribed "absolute rest" and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when he needs it.