Just days after Pope Francis was released from the hospital after a protracted stay, one of his physicians stated that during a particularly severe respiratory crisis, his medical team momentarily contemplated discontinuing care.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the leader of the pope’s medical team at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera that the 88-year-old pontiff had a “bronchospasm” and ingested his own vomit on February 28, according to the Associated Press and USA Today.
Bronchospasms, according to the Cleveland Clinic, occur when the muscles in your lungs’ airways constrict, causing “wheezing, coughing, and other symptoms.”
The medical emergency was so serious that physicians were concerned he “might not survive the night.”
“We had to decide whether to stop and let him go or to push it and try all of the possible drugs and treatments, taking the very high risk of damaging other organs,” Alfieri told the Italian publication, according to the AP. “In the end, that is the path we chose.”
According to Alfieri, the pope’s personal health care aide, Massimiliano Strappetti, advised them to “try everything,” CNN said.
“No one gave up,” the doctor explained.
Francis, who was first admitted for bronchitis and “diagnostic tests” but eventually got double pneumonia, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, March 23.
On the same day, the pope made a public appearance on the balcony of his hospital. In a video acquired by Good Morning America, he was seen waving to the crowd and saying some words of thanks.
The pope’s doctor told the Italian publication that during the medical crisis, the pontiff wanted to ensure the public was aware of what was going on.
“From the first day, he asked us to tell him the truth, and he wanted us to tell the truth about his condition,” Alfieri told CNN. “Nothing was ever modified or omitted.”
According to the AP, Alfieri stated that the pontiff would need at least two months of rest, rehabilitation, and convalescence and that he should avoid group meetings.