The family of a mother-of-two who died after flying to Turkey for cosmetic surgery are concerned she was not fit for the procedures, an inquest has heard.
Sophie Hunt, 34, a chef from Northampton, died at Avrupa Safak Hospital in Istanbul on March 9, 2022.
She tragically passed away two days after having a tummy tuck and Brazilian-butt lift (BBL) at the city’s private Nisantasi Hospital.
An inquest into Ms Hunt’s death at Northampton Coroner’s Court has heard she suffered multi-organ failure and died after going into cardiac arrest three times.
Ms Hunt’s mother, Sandra Hunt, said her daughter was “bubbly, outgoing and very kind” in an emotional written statement read out in court.
The grieving mother’s statement added that paperwork from the hospital showed “some of her ECG readings indicate an abnormal heartbeat”, which she has been told was not healthy.
She added: “We believe she was not fit for the surgery.”
Ms Hunt’s mother said her daughter lost consciousness after the surgery and had swelling in her hands.
She also raised concerns that there may have been a complication from the BBL procedure if too much fat was injected or removed from Ms Hunt’s body.
The coroner told the inquest that because Ms Hunt died in another country, she “does not have the jurisdiction to fully investigate what happened in that hospital.”
Assistant coroner Sophie Lomas added: “I have to reach the findings on the information I do have.”
A report provided by Turkey‘s Council of Forensic Medicine said: “The individual had no known medical illnesses.
She presented to hospital with dissatisfaction of the abdomen and buttocks.”
It added she had an abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, and liposuction on March 7 2022.
Ms Hunt then experienced “sudden loss of consciousness”, the document stated.
She was resuscitated but experienced a second cardiac arrest in an ambulance on the way to another hospital with a specialist cardiac intensive care unit.
It was at this hospital where she later died with respiratory failure and organ failure, the court heard.
The Turkish investigation found Ms Hunt died “as a result of abdominoplasty and liposuction procedures and the complications that developed thereafter.”
A post-mortem examination was carried out by consultant histopathologist Professor Kevin West when Ms Hunt’s body was repatriated to the UK.
The coroner also concluded she died due to complications of the surgery.
The inquest heard Prof West said the “exact cause of cardiopulmonary arrest is unclear”, but is likely to be because of the procedures.
The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion which said: “Sophie Hunt died due to complications of a surgical procedure carried out whilst abroad.”
