The pope is discharged from hospital nine days after undergoing hernia surgery

Pope Francis was released from hospital today, nine days after undergoing surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.

Francis, 86, left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in a wheelchair and waved to reporters and well-wishers at the main entrance as he was taken to a waiting car.

Chief Surgeon Sergio Alfieri said: “The Pope is fine. He’s in better shape than before.’

Mr Alfieri added that the pope was well enough to travel. Francis has planned trips to Portugal at the beginning of August and to Mongolia at the end of August. His engagements have been canceled until June 18.

The pope traditionally takes the entire month of July off, with Sunday blessings being his only public appearances, so he will have time to rest for August travels next month.

It follows a three-hour surgery on June 8 to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, problems that developed after previous surgeries.

At the time, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said “the night went well.”

Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of abdominal and endocrine sciences at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, said the operation was successful and no complications or other pathologies were discovered.

Mr Alfieri, who also removed part of Francis’ colon in 2021, told an evening press conference that the pope was awake, alert and even joking after the operation.

“When are we doing the third?” he quoted Francis as saying.

Pope Francis (pictured yesterday in the Vatican) woke up today after a good first night in hospital following a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall

The surgery was scheduled after Francis complained of increasing pain and intestinal blockages.

After going to Gemelli for check-ups on June 6, Francis was admitted the next day after his general audience and underwent the procedure a short time later.

During the surgery, doctors removed any adhesions or internal scars on the bowel that had caused a partial blockage. Alfieri revealed that in addition to the colon surgery in 2021, Francis had previous abdominal surgeries in his native Argentina sometime before 2013, which had also caused scarring.

To repair the hernia that formed over a previous scar, a prosthetic mesh was placed in the abdominal wall, Alfieri said. He added that the pope did not suffer from any other pathology, that the tissue removed was benign and that he should be fine after he recovers.

A dreaded protrusion, or bulge of the intestine through the hernia tear, was apparently not found.

“It looks like they operated on him in a timely manner without compromising his bowel,” said Dr. Walter Longo, chief of colon and rectal surgery at Yale University School of Medicine, who did not participate in the operation and commented after consulting with the Vatican statement about the procedure.

According to canon law, Francis continued to be in charge of the Vatican and the 1.3 billion strong Catholic Church even while he was unconscious and hospitalized.

In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days in Gemelli to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon. In an interview with The Associated Press in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, was what prompted the return from surgery.

Pope Francis waves as he departs in the Popemobile at the end of the weekly general audience on Wednesday prior to his surgery

After that surgery, Francis complained that he hadn’t responded well to the general anesthetic. That response partially explained his refusal to have surgery to repair strained knee ligaments that have forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for more than a year.

However, Alfieri said Francis had no clinically adverse reactions to the anesthesia in 2021 or Wednesday.

“Obviously nobody likes to be operated on and put to sleep, because the moment we’re put under water, we lose consciousness,” he said. “But two years ago or today there was no physiological problem.”

Dr. Manish Chand, a professor of surgery at University College London who specializes in colorectal surgery, said the biggest issue going forward will be pain management and ensuring the wound heals properly.

“In the first six weeks after this kind of surgery, you run the risk of having another recurrence,” he said. To avoid this, patients are advised not to do anything strenuous.