Former President George H.W. Bush is being treated for pneumonia in intensive care at a Houston hospital where doctors are evaluating him before removing a breathing tube. When a patient is not getting enough oxygen in the blood, doctors will insert a soft plastic breathing tube into the windpipe and connect the patient to a breathing machine called a ventilator. The longer a patient has a breathing tube, the higher the risk of a secondary infection. [...] when an improving patient can follow simple commands and has a strong enough cough, doctors will remove the tube and let the sedation wear off. Coming off sedation can bring on delirium, especially for elderly patients, so doctors will monitor whether the patient is agitated and disoriented, Schwartz said. The former president wrote to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan.