Mum-of-two dies after flying to Turkey for £2,750 weight loss surgery & going into cardiac arrest on operating table
A MUM-OF-TWO who flew out to Turkey for a weight-loss operation bled to death after the surgery went wrong, an inquest heard.
Janet Lynne Savage, 54, went into cardiac arrest during the £2,750 procedure at a hospital in Antalya.
The Welsh woman died in the intensive care unit in August last year because of acute blood loss.
She had flown out to the holiday and cosmetic surgery hotspot for gastric sleeve surgery.
An inquest into her death, in the town of Caernarfon, found she died after sustaining damage to one of her main arteries during the procedure.
Janet had reached out to a company called Regenesis Health Travel in July 2023 to organise the procedure.
Within 24 hours she had booked her trip to Turkey and was registered for surgery.
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.”
She also said Janet was “worried” about the surgeon and asked for information about him when she booked the surgery.
The mum had told Regenesis she was taking weight-loss drug Ozempic, but no longer had access to it and was worried about gaining weight.
She wanted to lose three stone – 19kg – and told the company her Body Mass Index (BMI) sat at 30.7.
This would place her at the start of the obese category on the NHS scale.
North West Wales senior coroner Kate Robertson said notes taken by the surgeon, Dr Ramazan Azar, revealed she had a 3-4mm “defect” in her aorta artery when the operation began – leading to heavy bleeding.
He said Janet’s aorta was repaired by the surgical team and they cancelled her gastric sleeve procedure because of the potential complications.
But medical staff failed to find a pulse and she was pronounced dead in the early hours of August 6.
A postmortem was later carried out in Wales, after Janet’s body was flown home.
The NHS warns travellers to be extra cautious if making plans to have surgery abroad.
In a post online, 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.”
What are the risks of getting surgery abroad?
IT'S important to do your research if you're thinking about having cosmetic surgery abroad.
It can cost less than in the UK, but you need to weigh up potential savings against the potential risks.
Safety standards in different countries may not be as high.
No surgery is risk-free. Complications can happen after surgery in the UK or abroad.
If you have complications after an operation in the UK, the surgeon is responsible for providing follow-up treatment.
Overseas clinics may not provide follow-up treatment, or they may not provide it to the same standard as in the UK.
Also, they may not have a healthcare professional in the UK you can visit if you have any problems.
Source: NHS