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CV NEWS FEED // Vatican News reported the morning of Feb. 24, local time, that Pope Francis, who is receiving care for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, “had a restful tenth night at the hospital.”
“The night went well; the Pope slept and is resting,” a Holy See Press Office statement said, according to the most recent Vatican News report on the condition of the pope.
In a statement the evening of Feb. 23, the Vatican reported that the pope’s condition remained “critical” but that he had not suffered any further “respiratory crisis” since the previous night.
According to a report the evening of Feb. 22, the Vatican press office had noted that the pope received high-flow oxygen after experiencing “an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity.” Even though he was able to pass the day in an armchair, he had experienced more fatigue compared with the prior day, according to the report.
“At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded,” the update stated. Blood tests indicated the pope also received blood transfusions because he is suffering from thrombocytopenia.
Thrombocytopenia, according to Cleveland Clinic, is the medical term for the condition of bone marrow not making enough platelets, the blood cells that help create blood clots.
On the evening of Feb. 23, according to Vatican News, the press office reported that the pope received two units of concentrated red blood cells, and his hemoglobin level rose.
“The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control,” the Sunday evening report said. According to that report, the pope continues to receive high-flow oxygen therapy.
“The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain guarded,” the press office said, according to Vatican News.
The pope, who “remains alert and well-oriented,” attended Mass Sunday morning at the hospital apartment on the 10th floor with medical staff, the article said.
As CatholicVote previously reported, the pope was admitted to the hospital Feb. 14 to receive treatment for bronchitis. The pope’s medical team had stated Feb. 21 that he would need to be at the hospital for at least another week.