Santa Maria Capua Vetere – A new chapter in the trial of bariatric surgeon Stefano Cristiano, charged with manslaughter in the death of Francesco Di Vilio, 69, and with negligent injury and false statements against Angela Iannotta, a young local mother.
Before the president of the Second Criminal Section, Dr. Sergio Enea, the physician appeared in the courtroom to hear the key testimony of one of the prosecutor's consultants: Professor Giovanni Gallotta, professor of internal medicine at the Federico II University of Naples.
For over three hours, Gallotta – part of a trio of university experts appointed by prosecutor Anna Ida Capone – detailed the professional errors attributed to Cristiano in Di Vilio's post-operative treatment.
"The error is evident in the post-op," the professor clarified, reconstructing the patient's ordeal: he underwent three operations in a few days at the Villa del Sole Clinic in Caserta, and was urgently transferred to Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, where a final lifesaving intervention was not enough to prevent his death from internal organ necrosis and sepsis, which occurred on January 1, 2021.
Questions rained down from prosecutor Capone, civil defense attorneys Gaetano and Raffaele Crisileo, the clinic's lawyer Ferdinando Trasacco, and Cristiano's lawyer, Massimo Damiani.
The other consultants, Professors Gaetano Buonocore and Bruno Di Filippo, are currently absent. They will be heard on February 9th, again regarding the Di Vilio case. The trial doesn't end there: in subsequent hearings, the Prosecutor's Office will address the plight of Angela Iannotta, who barely survived two gastric bypasses performed by Cristiano.
Having fallen into a coma due to necrosis, she underwent emergency surgery at Caserta Hospital and organ reconstruction at the Second Polyclinic in Naples, where Professor Francesco Corcione saved her with a nine-hour operation against all odds.
For the record, Cristiano arrives in the dock with a fresh record: he was sentenced to two years for manslaughter by the Nola Court (Judge Zingales) for the death of 29-year-old Raffaele Arcella, who died after a bypass at the Trusso Clinic in Ottaviano. The sentence is pending appeal, but casts a shadow over the surgeon's record.
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Comments (1)
This article discusses a very complex and delicate case. The situation of surgeon Stefano Cristiano is truly worrying, especially for the families involved. We hope the truth comes out and justice is served.