Woman dies after âbarbaricâ butt lift operation â coroner
A mother-of-three who died after a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure was subjected to âclearly barbaric medical practiceâ to which she gave no informed consent, a coroner has concluded.
Demi Agoglia, from Salford, traveled to Turkey for the procedure in January after seeing social media ads for Istanbul-based Comfort Zone.
The 26-year-old man died in an Istanbul hospital on January 8, three days after the operation and a catalog of poor care, an inquest heard.
Bolton coroner John Pollard found that she died from micro fat embolism, which occurs when injected fat enters the bloodstream, and ruled that her death resulted from âmisadventure caused by neglectâ.
Her mother Christine Tiede said she told her daughter shortly before a trip to Turkey with her partner Bradley Jones on January 4 that she was a âgood-looking girlâ and did not need the operation.
âShe was conscious of the way she looked. There was no change in her mind,â he told the hearing.
Mr Jones, a landscaper, said he also did not want Ms Agoglia to have the surgery, but he had booked the trip months in advance after âseeing some celebrityâ advertising the procedure.
In the BBL procedure fat is taken from elsewhere on the body and injected into the hips and buttocks.
Mr Pollard said: âI think in this case there was no appropriate informed consent, there was no appropriate pre-operative care and advice, and there was no appropriate post-operative care.
âAll this means that the overall care was well below the standard expected for this type of treatment and this lack of care significantly contributed to Demiâs death.â
The day after the surgery, Ms Agoglia told her mother: âIâve got the buttocks Iâve always wantedâ.
The next day her mother received a message from her partner: âSheâs gone.â
Mr Jones told the inquest that Ms Agoglia was âshiveringâ and feeling âvery, very coldâ after the operation.
Comfort Zone staff, who later emerged were not qualified nurses, were called to the villa where Ms Agoglia was staying after she complained of chest tightness.
The inquest heard that they checked his blood pressure but did not inspect the area of ââoperation or check his heart rate and pulse.
Ms Agoglia collapsed in the villa the next day and was taken back to hospital where she died.
âFeeled she wasnât that goodâ
Her sister Chloe said in a statement read by a family friend, Ellie Foulkes, outside the court that the family was going through âthe worst possible heartbreakâ.
âOur Demi was a beautiful, friendly, very confident girl and did not need surgery at all.
âShe came to realize that she was no good in her own right,â he said.
âOur Demi not only left behind her family, she left behind the most beautiful little boys.
âAlways and forever in our hearts Demi.â
She added: âSleep well.â
He urged people to do âmore researchâ if they are thinking of traveling to TĂŒrkiye for surgery.
The coroner told Ms Agogliaâs family he would write to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
âI think more needs to be done to stop this extremely barbaric medical practice being carried out at such low standards, which certainly will not be tolerated in the UK,â he said.
The BBC has contacted Comfort Zone for comment.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: âOur thoughts are with Demiâs family and friends at this difficult time.
âIt is unacceptable that peopleâs lives are being put at risk by inadequately trained operators in the cosmetic sector. The Government is urgently exploring options for further regulation in this sector.â
âPatientsâ safety is paramount, and we would urge anyone considering cosmetic procedures to consider the potential health effects and find a reputable, insured and qualified practitioner.â
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
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