Pope Francis Surgery Update: Pope Wakes Up, Plans To Be In Hospital

Rome, Rome – Pope Francis had a successful operation on Wednesday to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall. recent illness It befalls the 86-year-old pope, who had part of his colon removed two years ago.

The Vatican announced that Francisco had no complications during the three-hour operation that required general anesthesia. Immediately after the operation, the surgeon who performed the operation said that the pope had woken up and that the hernia had healed.

The Pope was scheduled to stay at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome for a few days. The Vatican has announced that all papal audiences have been canceled until June 18 as a precautionary measure.

Dr Sergio Alfieri, head of the Department of Abdominal and Endocrinology at the University of Gemelli, who also performed Francis’ colon surgery in 2021, said the Pope was alarmed and even joking. “When will you do the third time?” he quoted Francis.

Alfieri said doctors had removed adhesions and internal scars that had plagued the Pope in recent months during the operation, and that Francis had undergone an undisclosed abdominal surgery in Argentina before 2013, Alfieri said. clarified.

Alfieri said a recent operation put artificial mesh in the abdominal wall to repair the hernia.

Hernia surgery is rarely an emergency, but the operation appeared to be somewhat urgent and was scheduled for the day after Francis visited the hospital for an examination. The Pope’s doctors must have wanted to give him enough time to recover before his hectic travel schedule later this summer.

The pope was suffering from a hernia formed over a previous scar, presumably from colon surgery in 2021. The formation of a hernia, called an abdominal hernia, is a known complication of intestinal surgery, experts say. Worryingly, a piece of intestine may have escaped through the crack and become trapped.

The pope’s operation lasted three hours, much longer than the standard 60-90 minutes that doctors usually take for an operation.

For someone who has lost part of one lung at a young age, spending more time under anesthesia and using a ventilator for an even longer period of time can lead Pope to respiratory complications and longer recovery times than expected. may put you at risk.

It’s also unclear whether doctors removed more of the pope’s colon, which may have been necessary due to a hernia.

Francisco went to the hospital for an unannounced test on Tuesday, returned to the Vatican Wednesday morning to preside over an audience, and then went straight to Gemelli for treatment.

“When the bowel becomes clogged, the blood supply to the bowel is compromised. And if left untreated, the bowel dies and gangrene develops,” says Walter Longo, M.D., chief of colorectal surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. said.

He said Francis would be fine after a few weeks of recovery, but noted that the elderly pope was already weakened. “There’s a risk of doing surgery on frail people, but if you can get through it, you’ll be fine,” he said.

Frances continue to be in charge According to canon law, even when unconscious and hospitalized, they are supporters of the Vatican and the 1.3 billion strong Catholic Church.

In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days At Gemelli, 33 centimeters (13 inches) of the large intestine was resected. In an interview with the Associated Press Francis said in January that the surgery had returned because of diverticulosis, a bulge in the intestinal wall.

After the operation, Francis lamented that he did not respond well to the general anesthetic used in the longer-than-expected operation. This reaction partly explains his refusal to undergo surgery to repair a damaged knee ligament that has forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for over a year.

Dr Manish Chand, Professor of Surgery at University College London, who specializes in colorectal surgery, said the surgery itself is usually simple but requires general anesthesia. In this operation, the surgeon will usually free the trapped intestine and repair the hernia.

After that, the biggest issues will be pain management and whether the wound will heal properly, he said.

“For the first six weeks after this type of surgery, there is a risk of recurrence,” he says. To avoid it, patients are advised not to do strenuous exercise.

Dr Robin Phillips, emeritus professor of colorectal surgery at Imperial College London, said abdominal surgery can also impair lung function.

The Pope of Argentina had part of one lung removed when he was young. In late March, Francisco spent three days in Gemery for bronchitis and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He showed up on April 1st saying, “I’m still alive!”

“I’m afraid I’m doing it now because I’m afraid things will get more complicated and I’ll need emergency surgery. It’s going to be even more risky than doing it,” Phillips said.

After celebrating his weekly general audience, the Pope left Vatican City in a Fiat 500 just after 11:00 am and arrived in Gemelli about 20 minutes later with a police escort.

“The stay in the medical facility will last several days to allow for a normal course and full functional recovery after surgery,” the Vatican said in a statement. No updates were expected until the procedure was completed.

The Pope appeared in good spirits at the throne room in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday morning and drove around the square in his papal car to greet the faithful. The Vatican said he had also met twice beforehand.

Francis has a busy schedule these days with multiple audiences each day. The Vatican recently approved a four-day visit to Portugal in the first week of August, followed by a similarly extended visit to Mongolia from August 31, which is a busy month for travel in August, when the Holy See and Italy are usually on holiday. .

In a sign that the visit is still ongoing, the Vatican on Tuesday announced the itinerary of Francis’ planned visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from August 2 to August 6. The busy schedule includes all official national protocol meetings. In addition to the visit, it also includes multiple events with young people and a day trip to the Temple of Mary of Fatima.

Chen reported from London.