The botched procedure left mum-of-two Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, with a slashed artery – causing her to go into cardiac arrest
A Brit driving instructor who flew to Turkey for a gastric sleeve procedure died after bleeding to death when the surgery went wrong, an inquest has heard.
The botched procedure left mum-of-two Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, with a slashed artery – causing her to go into cardiac arrest.
She tragically died in the intensive care unit of Ozel Rich Hospital in Antalya on 6 August, 2023, despite the efforts of emergency teams. The hearing in Caernarfon found that the mum had died from acute blood loss during gastric sleeve surgery after suffering damage to one of her main arteries.
The inquest heard how Mrs Savage got in touch with a health travel firm called Regenesis Health Travel from July 2023 – based in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. The firm organises flights, hotels, surgical and non-surgical procedures at Ozel Rich Hospital.
Mrs Savage booked her surgery within 24 hours, and a month later, flew to Turkey for the procedure. The mum had told the health tourism firm that she had already taken Ozempic, but no longer had access to it, and was worried about rapidly gaining weight. Her aim was to lose three stone (19kg). Mrs Savage told Regenesis Health Travel that her body mass index (BMI) was 30.7.
According to BMI guidelines, this number would have put her at the beginning point of the obese range, which runs from 30 to 30.9. Alison Ergun, a client service officer for Regenesis, said she was contacted on the day of the surgery. She said: “There was a complication and she had stopped breathing in the first few minutes of surgery.”
Senior coroner for North West Wales, Kate Robertson, said translated notes from Janet’s surgeon, Dr Ramazan Azar, described how there had been a 3-4mm “defect” in the aorta artery when the operation began, which caused bleeding. He added that this was then repaired by the surgical team, and following the complications, the gastric sleeve procedure was cancelled.
But medics in the hospital’s intensive care unit later found that the mum’s heart had stopped beating and she was pronounced dead in the early hours of the morning.
The coroner said she ordered a post-mortem examination when Mrs Savage’s body was repatriated to Wales, which was carried out at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Pathologist Muhammad Aslam reported that the mum’s cause of death was acute bleeding from the abdominal aorta, that had been repaired. The coroner passed on her condolences to Mrs Savage’s family.
In a tribute following her death, Caernarfon Driving School said: “Just heard the sad news that Jan Savage one of our examiners at the Bangor Test centre has passed away. Our thoughts are obviously with her family at this upsetting time.”
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.”
