Pope Francis’ double pneumonia complications may be ‘unpredictable’, cardiologist warns

Pope Francis arrives for his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

With Pope Francis in critical condition following a respiratory crisis and complicated lung infection in recent days, one Canadian doctor says that dealing with the complications could be “unpredictable.”

Reports say the pope was conscious, but receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen and blood transfusions on Sunday. Cardiologist and epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Labos told CTV News Sunday that recent updates suggest the pope took a turn for the worse on Saturday, but things may have stabilized since.

Labos notes that infections like this can be difficult, and that elderly patients are prone to complications.

“One of them can be an asthma-like condition as it’s described in the [Vatican] press release, which was essentially sounds like a little bit of bronchospasm, a little bit of vasoconstriction, a little bit of bronchoconstriction in the pope’s lungs,” he said.

“Which meant that he needed to increase his oxygen demands and sort of reversed some of the improvement that had been happening over the past week.”

A Vatican spokesperson said in a statement that Saturday night had been uneventful and the pope had rested. Doctors say the main threat to the pontiff’s life is the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood which can occur as a complication of pneumonia, the Vatican said in a statement.

Latest reports from the medical team say that the pope is responding to the variety of drugs that he’s been given and there is no evidence of sepsis.

Meanwhile, the blood transfusions could be a separate, but related issue, Labos said.

Anyone hospitalized for a long period of time, especially with a severe illness, can suffer from a loss of red blood cells and platelet count, he explained. Transfusions merely replace the loss.

The University Hospital Foundation Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, where the pope is currently receiving treatment, was ranked last year as the best hospital in Italy and 37th best in the world.

“I have no doubt that he’s getting top quality medical care and they’re doing everything they can in this type of situation,” Dr. Labos said.

Vatican analyst Gerard O’Connell told CTV News Saturday night that there is a lot of concern and tension about the pope’s health across Rome.

“It was emotional to hear the statement that he had difficulty breathing,” O’Connell said.

People were spotted gathering outside St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for the pope’s recovery.

The pontiff, who has a chronic lung disease and is prone to bronchitis, was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14.

He was first diagnosed with a complex viral, fungal, and bacterial respiratory infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both of his lungs.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who had a part of his lung removed when he was young, is still undergoing multiple clinical tests.

With files from the Associated Press