(ZENIT News / Rome, 06.07.2023).- At the end of today’s General Audience, Pope Francis went to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital where, in the early afternoon and under a general anaesthesia, he will undergo a laparotomy and plastic surgery of the abdominal wall with prothesis.
The operation, arranged over the last days by the medical team that assists the Pontiff, became necessary due to an incarcerated laparocele [abdominal hernia], which is causing him recurrent, painful and worsening sub-occlusive syndromes.
The Holy Father’s stay in the Hospital will last several days, to enable the normal postoperative course and complete functional recuperation.
Particularity and Risk of This Operation
In at least two interviews Pope Francis revealed that the general anaesthesia he had for his operation in July 2021 implied an exceptional risk. The high risk associated with a general anaesthesia is what led him to decide not to have his knee operated on given that risk. Instead, he opted for rehabilitation though therapy rather than undergoing a surgical intervention. The operation this Wednesday, June 7, will include a general anaesthesia. The Holy See Press reported this subtly in a press release.
