A British woman who died after a Brazilian butt-lift procedure in Turkey had undergone a “frankly barbaric medical practice” in which she gave no informed consent, a coroner ruled, as per the BBC. 26-year-old Demi Agoglia, from Greater Manchester, travelled to Turkey for the procedure in January after seeing social media advertisements for Istanbul-based Comfort Zone. She died in the hospital in Istanbul on January 8 three days after the operation and a catalogue of poor care, an inquest heard.
On Wednesday, Bolton Coroner John Pollard found that Ms Agoglia died from a microscopic fat embolism, caused when she was injected fat enters the bloodstream, the outlet reported. He ruled that the 26-year-old died as a result of “misadventure contributed to by neglect”.
“I find there was no proper informed consent in this matter, there was no proper pre-operative care and advice, and no proper post-operative care. All of this meant the care in total fell well below the standard expected of this type of treatment and the lack of care contributed significantly to Demi’s death,” Mr Pollard said, per the Independent.
The coroner also told Ms Agoglia’s family that he would write to the Health Secretary, adding, “I do feel something further needs to be done to stop this frankly barbaric medical practice being conducted to such low standards that would certainly not be tolerated in the UK.”
Notably, Ms Agoglia travelled to Turkey with her partner, Bradley Jones. He said he did not want Ms Agoglia to have the surgery, but she had booked the trip months earlier after “she had seen some celebrity” advertising the procedure. The couple stayed in a shared villa in Istanbul before they were taken by taxi to the hospital.
Following the operation Ms Agoglia was “shaking” and appeared “very, very cold”, Mr Jones said. Staff from Comfort Zone were called to the villa after Ms Agoglia complained of a tight chest and they checked her blood pressure but did not inspect the area of the operation or check her heart rate and pulse, the inquest heard.
The 26-year-old collapsed at the villa the following day and was taken back to the hospital where she died. The surgeon who conducted the operation later told Mr Jones they had done everything they could. It later emerged that the Comfort Zone staff who were called out to the villa were not qualified nurses.
A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is a surgery where a doctor transfers fat from the abdomen, hips, lower back, or thighs to the buttocks. Women get the surgery to achieve an hourglass-shaped figure, with larger buttocks. Doctors remove the fat using liposuction. According to The Independent, the procedure can cost 3,500 pounds (Rs 3,71,049) in Turkey, but up to 10,000 pounds (Rs 10,60,021) in the UK, and carries the highest risk of all cosmetic surgeries.