Mar 30 2005
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera is reporting that Pope John Paul II may need to be fed intravenously. The Pope apparently has had difficulty swallowing since a breathing tube was inserted late February.
The Vatican has so far made not commented on this new development.
Intravenous feeding is a procedure for providing nourishment and fluids to patients who cannot swallow food orally. Intravenous feeding "parenteral" (bypassing the digestive tract) is generally considered "more hazardous and more expensive" than enteral feeding, or "enteral" (medically aided feeding using the digestive tract).