Mum-of-two, 44, dies during botched weight loss surgery in Turkey

A mother-of-two died during botched weight-loss surgery in Turkey after doctors failed to stop internal bleeding, a coroner has ruled.

Emma Morrissey, 44, got engaged just three weeks before departure to have a gastric sleeve.

1

She traveled abroad because she did not qualify for free NHS treatment and private surgeries in the UK are costly, the inquiry said.

The operation on July 8 last year was supposed to have lasted three hours, but her fiancé Jonathan Burt received the devastating news that complications had taken longer than expected.

He was then told that she was in critical condition before she died at 12.45pm from internal bleeding that led to multiple cardiac arrests.

Emma’s family was informed by the private hospital that the procedure had been stopped to stop the bleeding – but instead they had continued the operation.

The medical death certificate provided by doctors in Turkey listed her cause of death as natural causes and called cardiac arrest.

But in her conclusion at the Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington, Chief Medical Examiner Jacqueline Devonish said: “Had the bleeding been stopped at the time of discovery, Emma would have survived.”

She continued: “There is evidence that Emma’s stomach had been operated on and stapled.

“The treatment offered to Emma did not contain enough clotting factors and platelets to stop the bleeding.”

The coroner disagreed with the death certificate presented in Turkey and instead gave the cause: “Shock and bleeding from a ruptured ligament following gastric sleeve surgery.”

Paying tribute to her, her fiancé described her as, “One of those people you only had to know for five minutes and she would be your girlfriend.”
Jonathan added, “Everyone loved her.”

Independent pathologist Dr. Mark Lord said at the hearing that Emma, ​​of Birchwood, Cheshire, would not have died if surgeons had stopped the operation and stemmed the blood loss when it was first noticed.

He explained that no post-mortem had been carried out on Emma’s body in Turkey and that there was no evidence that it had been embalmed to UK standards.

In a statement, her family said: “Emma was an amazing person who touched the lives of everyone she met. She was kind, compassionate, and always put others above herself. She had a heart of gold and was always willing to help.” Hand out to anyone in need.

“Emma was a devoted mother, fiancee, sister and friend.

“She loved spending time with her family and friends and always had a smile on her face.”