Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Pope Francis, 88, rested during a peaceful ninth night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, the Vatican said Sunday.The update came after doctors said Francis, who had part of one lung removed when he was younger, was in critical condition.It is unclear if he was awake and eating breakfast.The pope suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday while being treated for double pneumonia and a complex lung infection.POPE FRANCIS’ MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA He received “high flows” of oxygen to help him breathe, and he received blood transfusions after tests revealed low counts of platelets, which are needed for clotting, according to the Vatican.Platelets are cell-like fragments that circulate in the blood that help form blood clots to stop bleeding or help wounds heal. Various things can cause low platelet counts, including side effects from medicines or infections, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.Francis “continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday,” the Vatican said.Doctors said Francis’ prognosis was “reserved.” Doctors have said his condition is touch-and-go, given his older age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease.POPE FRANCIS IS ‘FINE,’ CONDITION NOT LIFE-THREATENING, DOCTORS SAY The main threat is if the infection enters the bloodstream, a serious condition known as sepsis, which can arise as a complication of pneumonia, the doctors said.There was no evidence of any sepsis as of Friday, and Francis was responding to the various drugs he is taking, his medical team said.Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and subsequently the pneumonia in both lungs. Francis was originally slated to celebrate Mass on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Basilica and ordained hundreds of deacons as part of the Vatican’s yearlong Holy Year commemoration.The organizer of the Holy Year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated the Mass in his place, making a special prayer for Francis before delivering the homily the pope had prepared.”Even though he is in a hospital bed, we feel Pope Francis close to us, we feel him present among us,” Fisichella said. “And this compels us to make even stronger and more intense our prayer that the Lord will assist him in his time of trial and illness.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.
