Janet Lynne Savage had travelled to Turkey having become concerned she was gaining weight
Janet Lynne Savage travelled to Turkey having become concerned she was gaining weight (Credits: Wales News Service)

A mother-of-two who travelled to Turkey for weight loss surgery died after the operation went wrong, an inquest heard.

Janet Lynne Savage, a 54-year-old driving instructor from Bangor in North Wales, suffered damage to one of her main arteries during the procedure, causing her to go into cardiac arrest.

Emergency services at the hospital in Antalya tried to save Ms Savage, but the Welsh mother died of acute blood loss in the intensive care unit on 6 August 2023, an inquest heard.

Ms Savage had contacted a company called Regenesis Health Travel in July 2023 about the possibility of undergoing surgery, having become concerned she was rapidly gaining weight.

The 54-year-old, whose BMI was at 30.7, told the company she wanted to shred around three stone. Ms Savage was already taking the weight-loss drug Ozempic.

The mum died of acute blood loss in August 2023
The mum died of acute blood loss in August 2023 (Credits: Wales News Service)

Within 24 hours, the driving instructor was aboard a flight to Turkey ready for the £2,750 procedure.

Alison Ergun, a client service officer for Regenesis, said in a statement for the inquest: ‘There was a complication and she had stopped breathing in the first few minutes of surgery.’

Ms Savage had reportedly been worried about the surgeon, Dr Ramazan Azar, in the days before the operation and had even asked for further information about him.

North West Wales senior coroner Kate Robertson said notes taken by the surgeon revealed Ms Savage had a 3-4mm ‘defect’ in her aorta artery when the operation began, causing the heavy bleeding which followed.

The surgical team cancelled her gastric sleeve surgery after noticing the defect, instead opting to repair her aorta.

Unfortunately, medical staff were unable to find a pulse and the mum was pronounced dead in the early hours of August 6.

A post-mortem examination was carried out in Wales after Ms Savage’s body was taken back to her home-country.

The coroner passed on her condolences to the woman’s family.

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