Septic shock most often fatal for elderly, frail

ROME — Pope John Paul II's blood infection is a catastrophic condition for even the fittest people, doctors said yesterday.

Septic shock results when bacteria infect the blood vessels, leading to a weakening of the vessels and a catastrophic loss of blood pressure. That puts an ever- increasing burden on the heart as it tries to compensate and also harms other organs.

John Paul, 84, suffered blood poisoning when a urinary-tract infection spread to his bloodstream Thursday afternoon.

The Vatican announced a further deterioration in the pontiff's condition, saying he had slipped into heart and kidney failure, with a further drop in blood pressure and shallow breathing.

"The shallow breathing is totally consistent with severe failure of the blood vessels to provide blood to all the key organs," said Dr. Peter Salgo, associate director of the intensive-care unit at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.

Unless blood pressure is restored quickly, the heart and other major organs start failing because of lack of oxygen, said Dr. Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation.

"If you've got somebody who is otherwise fit and able — and you can get antibiotics into them to kill off the bacteria and you can support their circulation with drugs — then you may get them over it," he said.

However, for a frail and elderly patient like the pope, the chances of dying from septic shock are 80 to 90 percent, he said.