Vicenza. Diagnostic error for Michele Merlo, the young singer of Amici who died from a fulminant form of leukemia: the expert report ordered as part of the investigation into his death on June 6, 2021 has been filed.
According to experts appointed by the Vicenza prosecutor's office, the young man had a survival rate of 'between 79 and 86%' if the large hematoma on his leg had been correctly diagnosed, which he had shown to his GP, the only one under investigation in the inquiry, and then to other doctors.
The young man, therefore, would have had excellent survival rates if it had been understood that the hematoma in his leg was a symptom of the disease, and not a simple muscle tear, as instead was evaluated by the doctors.
This is the conclusion of the expert report, ordered in an evidentiary incident by the investigating judge of Vicenza, as part of the investigation opened in Vicenza for manslaughter, and in which the general practitioner of Rosa' (Vicenza) is being investigated, to whom the young artist had turned on May 26, 2021 to evaluate the hematoma on his leg. The professional prescribed a zinc bandage for a few days. On June 2, another specialist visited the singer at the emergency room in Vergato (Bologna) and diagnosed him with tonsillitis.
From that day on, Michele's condition worsened until his death at the Maggiore hospital in Bologna, when it was already too late, due to ischemia caused by acute promyelocytic leukemia, a subtype of leukemia but more aggressive, called "fulminant", which can cause the death of a patient in a few days, and which had not been diagnosed in time. The experts underline however that it is not possible to have absolute certainty that a timely diagnosis could have saved Merlo's life, since the treatments against leukemia do not have an immediate effect, and in the following days lethal hemorrhages could have occurred in any case.
Rosa's doctor has always defended himself by claiming that Merlo himself deceived him, telling him that he had suffered the contusion to his thigh during a move. The report of the two consultants, appointed by judge Antonella Toniolo, was filed in recent days and will be discussed at the hearing on September 29.
The story had shaken the world of entertainment and fans of the two most watched talent shows on TV. The artist's agony, which lasted four days, had kept many fans in suspense, waiting for some comforting news from the family. After the death of Michele Merlo, Emma Marrone dedicated a show to the young colleague she had met on 'Amici' in 2017. A thousand people had attended the funeral, celebrated in Rosa', with the presence of well-known political figures.
Article published on 31 August 2022 - 18:15
