Pope Francis was in a critical state on Saturday night after a long “asthmatic respiratory crisis” that demanded “high oxygen flows” as well as blood transfusion, Vatican said, adding concern about the health of 88-year-old Pontiff.
The announcement indicated that Francis’s medical condition became more complex than updating his doctors on Friday night, when it was also said to be in critical condition. “The Pope is not out of danger,” the Vatican said on Saturday night.
The pope was hospitalized on February 14th with a respiratory tract infection that developed into pneumonia in both lungs.
But the Vatican said on Saturday that Francis was careful and sat in an armchair, “although he was more painful than yesterday.”
Blood transfusion was needed because tests showed a low number of thrombocytes associated with anemia, Vatican said.
