British mother-of-two dies during £2,750 weight loss operation in Turkey
12 November 2024, 08:27
A British mother who flew to Turkey for a weight loss operation bled to death after the surgery went wrong, an inquest heard.
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Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor, died after suffering damage to one of her main arteries during the procedure.
Despite the efforts of medics at the hospital in Antalya she died in intensive care on August 6 last year.
Mrs Savage contacted a health travel firm called Regenesis Health Travel at the start of July last year, and within 24 hours had signed up for surgery a month later in Turkey, the inquest heard.
She said she wanted to lose three stone.
Alison Ergun, a client service office at Regenesis, said in a statement for the inquest: "There was a complication and she had stopped breathing in the first few minutes of surgery."
Surgical notes taken at the clinic in Turkey said she had a 3-4mm ‘defect’ in her aorta when the operation began, leading to heavy bleeding. This was repaired by the surgical team who cancelled the gastric sleeve procedure.
Medical staff failed to find a pulse and she was pronounced dead in the early hours of August 6 last year.
A post-mortem was carried out at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Pathologist Muhammad Aslam reported that the cause of death was acute bleeding from the abdominal aorta, that had been repaired.
The NHS warns people to be cautious when travelling overseas for surgery.
It says: "Be cautious of websites selling cosmetic surgery as part of a holiday.
"If you're looking at holiday packages: make sure you have a consultation with the surgeon (avoid meetings only with sales people).
“Do not pay for a hospital you have never seen. Do not pay to see a surgeon you have not met.
"While it's possible to have a holiday before surgery, it's unrealistic to have one straight after as this can increase the risk of things going wrong.
"You need to rest. You should not drink alcohol, lie in the sun, go sightseeing or go in the water."
