A verdict of medical misadventure has been returned in the case of a 53-year-old woman who died in Cork, five days after undergoing surgery in Turkey for a gastric bypass.
Pamela Canty, a mother-of-one from Larchfield, Commons Road in Cork, died in Mercy University Hospital in October 2022.
Professor Michael O’Riordan, who saw Mrs Canty when she was admitted to the hospital after she collapsed, said that what had been carried out on her “was not a standard bariatric procedure or a recognised procedure”.
Cork City Coroner’s Court heard that she was due to have a gastic sleeve fitted, but because she had a hernia, doctors in Turkey told her this was no longer possible and offered a bariatric bypass procedure instead after removing the hernia the same day.
Mrs Canty was discharged from the Turkish hospital two days later. Her family reported that she was feverish and vomiting.
When she was admitted to hospital in Cork, there were no records of the operation and she was in a state of profound shock and sepsis.
Mrs Canty died a short time later from septic shock due to dehiscence of a gastro-jejunal bypass with perivanitis and mediastinitis, and a raised body mass index.
Prof O’Riordan said an operation like this is “a very big decision”.
“It would be done over many months. This is an elective procedure. It needs more throught and consideration. It is a high-risk procedure.”
Mrs Canty’s husband, Finbarr, said he had a gastric sleeve fitted and that is why his wife was comfortable about getting one too.
Even when the doctors said she could not have it because of the hernia, and offered her the bariatic bypass instead, he told her they could go home but she said that, if they did, she would never come back.
An upset Mr Canty said: “I know I got it done myself. I partly blame myself. If I hadn’t gone to get it myself, she wouldn’t have known anything about it.”
But Coroner Philip Comyn reassured him saying the last thing his wife would have wanted was for him to blame himself.
Woman died from ‘hemorrhage and shock’ after liposuction
Separately, an open verdict was returned in the case of a 46-year-old married mother-of-one because of a lack of reports from a Turkish hospital.
Estelita Hamelin, of Clondulane, Fermoy in Co Cork, travelled to Turkey in October 2021 with her daughter for liposuction and a tummy tuck on a recommendation from the woman who did her eyebrows, the court heard.
Her daughter Hazel Gervacio gave a harrowing account of the experience.
She said that after hours of looking for an update on her mother, a nurse who spoke English finally told her that she was in intensive care having had “massive blood loss”.
A cleaner, who Ms Gervacio showed pictures of her mother, went to check and said that “she is still comatose, but doing ok”.
She was eventually told that her mother was critical, but she died shortly afterwards.
When Ms Gervacio spoke to the surgeon, he suggested that Mrs Hamelin “had underlying issues”, but her daughter told the court that she did not.
State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said the cause of death was hemorrhage and shock due to liposuction, adding that it was over a year before she got access to hospital records.
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Surgeon issues warning of dangers of seeking surgery abroad
Coroner Philip Comyn said he believes the cases highlight the danger of going abroad for these types of elective procedures, particularly in light of how they would be handled in Ireland.
They also highlight the difficulties of going abroad for treatment where the level of care may vary from hospital to hospital, country to country.
“Ultimately it is a decision for the individuals themselves but people need to be aware of the risks involved when they go abroad for this type of surgery.
“I am concerned that people should know the nature of the risks involved and discuss it here with the relevant medical personnel,” Dr Comyn said.
