tracheostomy

Dysphagia, tracheostomy, and parkinson's disease.
The previous two posts are about swallowing difficulties and the pope, and how are they related.
The latest news is an "elective" tracheostomy.
Hello: Tracheostomies can be "elective", but that doesn't mean we believe Vaticanese, which puts the word "clintonesque" to shame.
Some people with neuromuscular diseases can have problems with secretions. Normally, you cough up your phelgm/sputum okay. Most of us have had episodes where we had problems getting up the phegm...I had mycoplasm pneumonia where this happened, and used to take an inhaler, then inhale steam for relief.
So many elderly, even those at home, might need help in coughing. Often, I suggest they buy or rent a nebulizing machine to help them loosen the phlegm, and chest percussion used to be used quite a lot for this problem.
In severe cases, however, you need to put a tube down to suck out the secretions. In the days before cheap nebulizers, we did this a lot. Some of our people with chronic emphysema/black lung/COPD even had tracheostomies routinely put in "electively" to help suck them out. Not done as much nowadays as twenty years ago.
Now, it is not clear with the pope. Did he need help with secretions due to poor muscles from Parkinson's? Is he having "laryngospasm" or other thoat problems and needs it to breath? Or did he have it placed (as the most recent CNN suggested) in order to be placed on a respirator.
It happened so quickly, I suspect he was in danger of respiratory failure, and they did an emergency tracheostomy because the Parkinson's was making it hard for him to breathe and swallow.
Now, once he's over the pneumonia, he can go back to normal, since a lot of times the Parkinson's medicine merely is readjusted.
But if he's on a respirator, as the latest reports say, we have another ethical problem.
You see, neither respirators nor feeding tubes are required by Catholic law, since they are extraordinary treatment.
Recently, with the spate of pulling feeding tubes from the disabled as a means of euthanasia, the pope pointed this was a no- no.
However, in terminal Parkinson's disease, usually by the time the feeding tube comes into play, the person is near terminal, so it is still optional.
Ditto for respirators. In neuromuscular disease, they are optional even for pneumonia.
Remember, Paul VI refused ICU care and dialysis at the end of his life. This pope has used all types of sophisticated care in the past for not only his parkinson's but for his colon cancer.
So my question: If the tube was for respiratory failure, he will probably die. If it is merely for upper airway spasm causing problems with secretions, he'll be back to normal in two weeks.
Anyone want to take bets?
I place my three cents on Cardinal Arinze as next pope...