by Br. Alexis Bugnolo
Pope Francis’ is in real danger. It has been said several times, especially by his personal doctor (here) and from what is obviously being said in other terms (here).
But two terms have been used in regard to his medical condition, the meaning of which is not clear to those without medical training, like myself. So I looked them up and this is what I found:
“Critical”
This term is more familiar to most, yet it merits also to be defined. WebMD defines it here:
What does a critical condition mean?
The person’s vital signs are unstable and outside of their normal limits. They may be unconscious. The doctor expects the outcome to be poor, or they can’t predict how the person will fare.
“You might also hear the word “critical” used to describe the type of treatment someone needs. People with life-threatening illnesses or injuries need critical care, usually in a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
If they need treatments to help them stay alive (called life support), they can also get those in the ICU. A few types of life support are:
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- A machine that helps you breathe, called a ventilator
- Techniques to restart a stopped heart, like CPR and electric shocks (defibrillation)
- Tube feeding to give you nutrients and hydration
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Life support treatments don’t necessarily mean a patient’s condition is life-threatening. Sometimes doctors use them temporarily until the person is well enough to function on their own.
“Prognosi riservata”
This Italian term has been explicitly used in the official report about Pope Francis’ medical crisis on Saturday Morning, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter.
Here is what “prognosi riservata” means, according to MedicineOnline.Co:
First the Italian original:
“Il termine prognosi riservata viene utilizzato quando l’espressione della prognosi non è possibile, in quanto la malattia è suscettibile di evoluzioni non prevedibili anche gravi a partire dalla diagnosi iniziale. Pur non essendo necessariamente indice di gravità, bensì – come abbiamo visto – di imprevedibilità, è innegabile che spesso siano proprio alcune patologie gravi, ad esempio una emorragia cerebrale in seguito ad incidente automobilistico, ad essere caratterizzate dalla maggiore difficoltà, se non addirittura dall’impossibilità, da parte del medico di concepire una prognosi esatta.”
Now my English translation:
“The term “reserved prognosis” is used when the determination of the prognosis is not possible, inasmuch as the disease is susceptible to unpredictable evolutions, even serious ones, starting from the initial diagnosis. Although it is not necessarily an indicator of the gravity of the case, but rather – as we have seen – of unpredictability, it is undeniable that often there are some serious pathologies, for example a cerebral hemorrhage following a car accident, that are characterized by the greatest difficulty, if not the impossibility, for the doctor to arrive at an exact prognosis.”
Prognosis:
According to the FreeDictionary.com’s medical dictionary, the term is defined thus:
CONCLUSION
In sum, it appears that Pope Francis’ health condition is out of control and deteriorating, even his medical staff cannot predict the outcome. I think those who said that he was going to die soon are those who will be considered to have been the ones who had the greatest foresight of us all.
