Close to a month after undergoing a weight loss surgery, a 46-year-old woman died at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday. Relatives of the woman are now alleging that it is a case of medical negligence and have filed a police complaint, reports TNIE.
Valarmathi, who hails from Tiruvannamalai district, had received treatment at the Lifeline Hospital in Kilpauk for obesity along with her three children. According to reports, she weighed close to 150 kg, her son Satish Kumar was 130 kg and daughter Saranya and Sangeeta close to 122 kg and 97 kg respectively.
“We saw an advertisement for treating obesity and approached the hospital. Dr J S Rajkumar suggested bariatric surgery,” said Azhagesan, Valarmathi’s husband to ToI. “We agreed, and all four underwent surgery on August 26. My wife developed complications, was admitted to the ICU for nearly a month, and underwent nine more surgeries. Around 1.30 am on Saturday, the doctor declared her dead,” he explains.
Doctors at the hospital meanwhile argue that they had taken the appropriate measures to mitigate risks with pre-operative preparation. Valarmathi's lungs reportedly went into Adult respiratory distress syndrome (a severe lung condition).
"An important fact that was kept away from the knowledge of the hospital was that she had been admitted to CMC Vellore and required ventilator dependence a few years ago,” said Dr J S Rajkumar from the Lifeline Hospital to ToI.
The patient was, according to the hospital, constantly supervised by the lung specialist, anaesthetist and general physician.