Welsh mother of 2 dies following weight-loss surgery in Türkiye

A woman from Wales, who traveled to Türkiye for a weight-loss surgery, suffered fatal complications when an artery was damaged during the procedure, a recent inquest has revealed.

Janet Savage, 54, loses life to surgery complications

Janet Lynne Savage, 54, a mother of two and driving examiner from Bangor, Gwynedd, sought a gastric sleeve operation after concerns about her weight. Savage was eager to address her weight gain after discontinuing a weight-loss drug and approached a health tourism company in July 2023, arranging the procedure for a month later.

Procedure gone wrong leads to acute blood loss

The surgery, performed in Antalya, encountered complications soon after it began. According to translated notes from the surgeon, Dr. Ramazan Azar, a small defect in Savage’s aorta – a main artery – led to severe bleeding.

Despite efforts from the surgical team to repair the artery, the gastric sleeve procedure had to be aborted. Savage was transferred to intensive care, but medics were ultimately unable to restore her pulse, and she passed away on Aug. 6, 2023.

Inquest confirms cause of death

Senior Coroner Kate Robertson, overseeing the inquest in Caernarfon, concluded that Ms. Savage died due to acute blood loss caused by damage to the abdominal aorta.

A post-mortem examination conducted after her body was repatriated to Wales confirmed the findings, with pathologist Muhammad Aslam reporting that despite the surgical team’s attempts to repair the artery, the damage had been too severe.

Rapid timeline raises concerns in health tourism

The inquest revealed that within 24 hours of contacting Regenesis Health Travel, Savage had committed to the surgery, despite her body mass index (BMI) of 30.7 placing her at the lower end of the obesity spectrum, the BBC reported.

Health travel has been a rising trend, but risks associated with expedited surgeries and complex medical procedures abroad are increasingly scrutinized following cases like that of Savage.

The coroner expressed condolences to Savage’s family, adding to the growing discourse on the risks involved in weight-loss surgery tourism and its costs, both financially and personally.