Doctor who accompanied Papa confirms that Francisco took life -threatening

The doctor at the Gemelli Hospital who accompanied the Pope during the hospital confirmed on Tuesday that Francisco took life-threatening. Sergio Alfieri revealed that the team had to decide between « letting him » or « trying all possible therapies. »

In an interview published today in the newspaper Corriere della Sera, Alfieri, who has already operated the 88 -year -old Pope on other occasions, said that at that moment « Francis knew he could die » and the people around him « had tears in their eyes. »

The worst moment of the 38 days that the high pontiff spent at the hospital due to a respiratory infection that climbed pneumonia in both lungs, was on February 28, when he suffered an episode of bronchospasm.

« For the first time, I saw tears in the eyes of some people around him. People who, from what I could understand during this period of hospitalization, really love him, like a father. We all knew that the situation had worsened even more and that there was a risk of not being able to, » he said.

To Corriere Della Sera, Alfieri explained: “We had to choose between stopping and letting it go, or force and try all possible medications and therapies, at the very high risk of damaging other organs. And in the end, we opted for that path.”

The decision was made by Massimiliano Strappetti, Pope Francis’ personal physician, who perfectly knows the wishes of the Argentine pontiff. The doctor also said that the Pope realized that he could die because, « even with his condition to get worse, he was totally conscious. »

« That night was terrible. He knew, just like us, who might not survive at night. We saw a man who was suffering. But from the first day he asked us to tell the truth about his condition, » he adds.

Sergio Alfieri explained that the medical team, with the therapies they applied, was in danger of damaging the kidneys and bone marrow, but continued treatment until the body responded and pulmonary infection improved.

Then came the second episode where the Pope was close to death: « We were leaving the hard time and, while ate, Pope vomited and aspired. »

« It was the second moment really critical because, in these cases, if he was not rescued quickly, there was a risk of sudden death, as well as complications in the lungs, which were already the most committed organs. It was terrible, we really thought it would not survive, » he said.