Deo gratias! Thank the Lord it wasn't anything serious, but I must remember to add a special prayer to Papino's guardian angel every day. He has the prayers of the faithful 'faithful' - laity and clergy alike - in any case, whether they know about this incident or not, but just as there can never be too much love, there can never be too many prayers, so pray on.
Vacation Day 5:
Pope slips and has a slight fracture
of the right wrist
VATICAN CITY, July 17 (Translated from ASCA) - "After falling down in his own room last night" at his summer residence in Les Combes where he is on vacation, Pope Benedict XVI "suffered a slight fracture of the right wrist", according to Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican press director.
"The Holy Father," he said, "nonetheless celebrated Mass and had breakfast, after which he was taken to the hospital in Aosta where the fracture was diagnosed and the wrist was immobilized". [Probably placed in a cast. And a slight fracture may mean he did not actually break any bone, but a wristbone could have shown some damage like a hairline crack on X-ray.].
P.S.
Translated from
the official bulletin:
After falling in his room last night, the Holy Father has sustained a slight fracture of the right wrist.
Nonetheless the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the morning and hand breakfast, after which he was taken to the hospital in Aosta where he was diagnosed with a slight fracture, and doctors proceeded to immobilize the wrist.
has been reporting the same thing.
Photos taken outside the hospital this morning.
Earlier reports said he arrived at the hospital in Aosta around 9:45 a.m. (also reported by RV) accompanied by Mons. Gaenswein. The Pope's hand was X-rayed, after which he was kept under observation for 2-3 hours, as the doctors decided on the best way to manage the injury.
I always keep the TV on Fox News before I go to bed, and around 4:30 a.m. I was awakened by hearing the words 'Pope Benedict' and 'hospital'. And sure enough, it was a news alert that the Pope had been brought to the emergency room and that he had suffered a fall but there were no details as yet.
Greg Burke came on from Rome to say the latest unconfirmed report was that the Pope had broken his wrist, but that he was seen walking into the hospital so it could not have been serious. By which time I was at my PC checking out Lella's blog first, where the latest post was the ASCA item I translated above, around 11 a.m. Italian time.
It will be recalled that in 1991, the then Cardinal Ratzinger slipped in the bathroom while on vacation in Bressanone and hit his head on the radiator. He was hospitalized for a head cut and a slight concussion - and was it then that they thought he might have had a slight stroke? In any case, a friend later remarked that the radiator broke, whereas the cardinal only got away with a cut!
As Aosta is only 20 kilometers way from Les Combes, the Pope may not even have had to use the helicopter that is on standby for any contingency.
But if his right wrist is in a cast, he won't be able to do any writing for a few days - or longer! Maybe he will dictate to GG who can transcribe directly into a PC. Worse, he won't be able to play the piano.
Did he have his doctors on hand at Les Combes? One Italian report says that his cardiologist (Dr. Polisca?) had checked him out last night, presumably after the incident, and he must have found everything fine - as far as any possible cardiovascular incident - if they all waited until after Mass and breakfast the next day to go to the hospital.
Here is the AP's first report:
Pope fractures wrist in fall
VATICAN CITY, July 17 (AP) – Hospital officials and the Vatican say Pope Benedict XVI broke his right wrist in a fall during his vacation in the Alps.
Tiziano Trevisan, a spokesman at the Umberto Parini hospital in Aosta, told the Associated Press, "The Pope will be held for a few hours as the doctors treat his fracture. He will then stay for observation."
Trevisan said doctors had taken an X-ray of the Pope's right wrist and found a small fracture. The Pope is 82 and has been healthy during his five-year pontificate.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said earlier that Benedict "slipped and got hurt" but "it doesn't seem to be serious."
Lombardi said the Pope went to the hospital in Aosta for an examination after the accident.
Just to keep things in perspective:
There are quite a few bones in the wrist area, and the most common injury is a hairline fracture to
one of those small bones (left photo), which can happen when one uses the hand to break a fall; or
it can break on the arm bone itself (right photo shows an actual break, though it could also be
a hairline crack) which does not seem to have been the case with the Holy Father.
P.S. Now ANSA reports a 'surgical reduction' of the fracture, but the AP says hospital personnel could not confirm that.
If there is such an intervention, the injury could be more than just a hairline fracture, because to reduce a fracture means to properly realign the broken parts of a bone before putting the body part in a cast. Usually this can be done by simple manipulation, and then immobilizing the wrist in a cast, but if surgery is needed, it may simply mean placing a pin to keep the bone parts together - a decision that has also has to do with the fact that the Pope uses his right hand a lot to write, so reinforcement is advisable.
AGI has more upbeat news meanwhile:
Pope is smiling, serene -
and apologizes for the 'fuss'
AOSTA, July 17 (Translated from AGI) - Smiling and serene, quick to jest about the 'trouble' he is in, and obedient to what the doctors tell him.
That is how personnel at the Umberto Farini Hospital have described the Pope who is in a private ward of the emergency room to receive medical attention for a broken right wrist.
They say he did not appear concerned and even apologized for the 'fuss' he was causing unwillingly.
It does not seem that his vacation schedule will be affected by the incident.
And a formal confirmation of the surgery - they did put two pins in:
Hospital confirms surgery
under local anesthesia
AOSTA, July 17 (Translated from various ANSA reports ) - The hospital in Aosta has officially confirmed that the Pope underwent surgical reduction of the fracture in his right wrist. It was done under local anesthesia.
It involved applying traction on the fracture and inserting two pins to secure the bone.
A hospital spokesman told newsmen that 'normal procedure' was followed for the reduction, "inasmuch as the Pope is in generally good condition."
Earlier reported:
When he arrived at the hospital in Aosta this morning, Pope Benedict XVI asked to be treated like other patients, and it was learned that we waited his turn both for his wrist X-ray and for an operating room when it was decided to undertake a surgical reduction of his wrist fracture.
Preceding him in surgery was a patient treated for acute peritonitis.
The Vatican has released these two new photos of the Pope at Les Combes, the first since he arrived there on Monday:
The Pope's concession to informality while on vacation seems to be not wearing the papal capelet and sash, so he is just dressed in his cassock, without the pectoral cross. If he were in the tropics, where priests wear white, he would be walking about like any ordinary priest - unless he wears his zucchetto.
Bone surgeon says Pope's wrist
should fully heal in a month -
and he can play the piano again
AOSTA, July 17 (Translated from AGI) - Everything went well in the treatment of the Pope's broken wrist, and it should be fully healed in a month, according to Professor Amedeo Mancini, chief orthopedist at the Perini Hospital here.
He explained that the Pope underwent a 'closed' surgery - no cuts were made.
"The bone was realigned by traction, and a trepan
[sort of medical drill] was used to insert two metal pins to hold the bone in place. Then, we put a resin cast to immobilize the wrist - it serves the same purpose as a plaster cast
[probably lighter and less cumbersome]. The Pope will have to keep it on for 30 days."
Mancini said there would be no problem to regain full use of the wrist, and "with appropriate rehabilitation therapy [after the cast is removed], he should be able to play the piano again shortly".
He said he found the Pope to be an absolutely compliant and attentive patient, and that he was in the best of spirits.
Earlier, the Pope's new personal physician, Dr. Patrizio Polisca, issued this statement through the Vatican Press Office.
Pope going back
to Les Combes today
The Holy Father, after an accidental fall in his residence, suffered an incomplete fracture of the right wrist.
For this reason, His Holiness underwent reduction of the fracture and osteosynthesis [rejoining the broken bone with the metal pins] under local anesthesia, and the application of a cast at the hospital in Aosta.
The general condition of the Holy Father is good, and he may return shortly to his residence.
DR. PATRIZIO POLISCA
In fact, as I was posting this (10:15 a.m. New York time would be 4:15 p.m. in Aosta), Fox News broke into an ongoing news commentary to show a video of the Pope walking out of the hospital - he looked beautiful and rested, laudatur Deus! He waved with his left hand, but his right hand could not be seen. He got into a waiting car right side first and did not seem to have any trouble at all...
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 17/07/2009 22:48]