Pope 'may have tracheotomy'

Doctors were preparing to operate on Pope John Paul II tonight to help ease his breathing problems, an Italian news agency said.

Hours earlier, the Pope was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance for the second time in a month after suffering fever and congestion from a recurrence of the flu.

Italian news agencies Ansa and Apcom said the doctors were considering performing a tracheotomy – a procedure in which a hole is made in the throat and a tube is inserted to assist breathing.