A law student died two days after undergoing elective surgery to treat a rare condition that caused abdominal bloating.
Francesca Tucci suffered from Wilkie’s syndrome, a rare gastrointestinal disorder in which part of the small intestine is compressed between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery.
The condition caused her abdominal bloating after eating certain foods.
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After seeking specialist consultations in Milan and Rome, she decided to undergo surgery at Antonio Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, Italy.
On 29 June, Francesca underwent the scheduled private operation under Italy’s intramoenia system, which allows doctors employed by the National Health Service to carry out private work within the public hospitals where they are based.
The 24-year-old’s condition deteriorated on the night of 1 July when she began vomiting and repeatedly fainting.
Following a CT scan, doctors determined that she needed emergency surgery for a second time, as reported by Need To Know.
However, the operation was unsuccessful, and Francesca died on Thursday (2 July), just hours after being transferred to intensive care.
The Naples Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a manslaughter investigation after Francesca’s family filed a complaint on Friday (3 July).
Surgeon Felice Pirozzi, along with healthcare professionals Giuseppe Magno and Francesca Duro, has been placed under investigation as a procedural step while prosecutors carry out their inquiries.
An autopsy is understood to have been carried out on Tuesday (7 July).
Francesca’s father, Vincenzo, told local media: “It wasn’t a life-saving operation.
“My daughter was well.”
The family paid more than €10,000 (£8,550) for the procedure, as well as €500 (£428) a day for Francesca’s hospital room.
Vincenzo said: “I paid, and despite that, I watched my daughter die.”
Francesca lived in Afragola and was just two exams away from completing her law degree at Parthenope University.
The university described her as a “beautiful, cheerful young woman” and “a young life cut short while planning her future with determination and dedication”.
In a statement, Francesca’s family said: “We believe she was left alone when she needed help most, that she desperately tried to get someone’s attention, and that assistance was neither timely nor adequate.
“For hours, her loved ones waited outside without anyone showing us the basic human decency of giving us answers.”
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