An inquiry has found that a Bangor, North Wales, mother of two bled to death following a weight-loss operation gone wrong in Turkey. 54-year-old Janet Lynne Savage had expected the gastric sleeve operation would help her lose weight and enhance her health, but she suffered a terrible and devastating complication instead.
What Led Her to Seek Surgery Abroad?
Concerned about her fast weight increase, Mrs. Savage contacted medical tourism-focused Regenesis Health Travel early in July 2023. She told the company she had formerly been using the weight-loss medication Ozempic but no longer had access to it. She looked for a gastric sleeve operation to drop about three stone (19 kg).
She revealed during her consultation that her body mass index (BMI) was 30.7, which the NHS defines as the lower end of the obese range—that which goes from 30 to 39.9. She committed to surgery in Turkey within 24 hours of contacting Regenesis Health Travel, quickly finishing the specifics.
How Did the Procedure Go Wrong?
The surgeon in Antalya started the operation as scheduled. Tragic events, nonetheless, happened within minutes following the surgery. Mrs. Savage’s abdomen aorta, a main artery, was found to be defective and would cause notable haemorrhage. Translated surgeon notes state, “There was a 3-4 mm defect in the aorta when the operation began, leading to immediate complications.”
The surgical team stopped the intended gastric sleeve operation and tried to fix the aorta when damage was found. Regenesis’s client service officer remembered the horrific event she was informed of: “I was phoned on the Day of the procedure. She added in a statement: “There was a complication; she stopped breathing in the first few minutes of surgery.”
Why Were Efforts to Save Her Life Unsuccessful?
Mrs. Savage was taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital following the first issue. She was declared dead in the early hours of August 6, 2023, although medics there finally failed to find a pulse.
The senior coroner acknowledged in a narrative finding presented at the court in Caernarfon, North West Wales, that Mrs. Savage had died from acute blood loss resulting from the artery defect and consequent bleeding following the surgery. “This was an unexpected and tragic outcome,” she stated, adding, “Efforts to repair the artery were unsuccessful, and she suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the acute blood loss.”
What Did the Post-Mortem Report Reveal?
The coroner directed a post-mortem investigation at Glan Clwyd Hospital once Mrs. Savage’s body was returned to the UK. The leading cause of death, according to a pathologist doing the autopsy, was severe abdominal aorta haemorrhage. The damage resulted in deadly blood loss even though the Turkish surgical team tried to fix the artery.
The coroner described the situation as a very terrible and exceptional tragedy and extended sympathies to Mrs. Savage’s bereaved family.
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