Vatican City, Feb 23, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Vatican Press Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls confirmed a short time ago that doctors at Rome’s Gemelli hospital have successfully performed a tracheotomy on Pope John Paul II.
The Vatican indicated that the procedure lasted about 30 minutes and that the Pope is now resting following the surgery and will not be transferred to intensive care.
Gemelli spokeswoman Nicola Cerbino read a statement to the press, saying that the “influenza that lead to the Pope’s hospitalization in the Gemelli Hospital has presented some complications with episodes of respiratory problems.”
“This”, she said, “lead to the decision to perform an elective tracheotomy to facilitate suitable breathing for the patient and to favor the resolution of the laryngeal pathology.”