Santa Maria Capua Vetere – A four-hour intensive examination reconstructed, based on medical records, the alleged errors that led to the death of Francesco Di Vilio. This was the focus of the new hearing held today before the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Sergio Enea presiding) in the trial against Dr. Stefano Cristiano.
The bariatric surgeon, present in the courtroom, must answer for manslaughter in Di Vilio's death and for negligent bodily harm and forgery in Angela Iannotta's case.
The technical consultant's "j'accuse"
At the heart of today's hearing is the key testimony of Professor Bruno Di Filippo, Professor of Surgery at the Federico II University of Naples and technical consultant to the Public Prosecutor, Anna Ida Capone.
Pressed by questions from the prosecution, the civil defense attorneys (Gaetano and Raffaele Crisileo), the lawyer for the Villa del Sole Clinic (Ferdinando Trasacco), and the defendant's defense (Massimo Damiani), the expert outlined a dramatic clinical picture.
According to Professor Di Filippo's reconstruction, Dr. Cristiano's responsibility lies primarily in the post-operative care. The prosecution points to the timing: Di Vilio's transfer from the "Villa del Sole" clinic in Caserta to the Cardarelli Hospital in Naples occurred with a delay that later proved fatal.
The ordeal of Francesco Di Vilio
Di Vilio's medical history, recounted in court, remains a painful chapter. He underwent three surgeries in quick succession, performed by Dr. Cristiano within a few days of each other. Despite his efforts, the situation deteriorated: urgently transferred to Cardarelli Hospital, Di Vilio died on January 1, 2022, from necrosis of his internal organs.
The Prosecutor's Office's consultant highlighted how the complications that arose after the operations were not managed promptly enough, transforming the surgical procedure into a one-way street.
The Iannotta Front and the Next Steps
The trial doesn't end here. At the next hearing, scheduled for March 23, Professor Gaetano Buonocore, a medical examiner, will testify, completing the evidentiary framework surrounding Di Vilio's death. Subsequently, the court's attention will shift to Angela Iannotta's case.
The woman, who underwent two gastric bypasses, again by Dr. Cristiano, ended up in a coma due to multiple organ necrosis. Her survival is considered exceptional: transferred to the Second Polyclinic of Naples, Angela was saved thanks to a complex nine-hour internal organ reconstruction surgery performed by Professor Francesco Corcione.
The shadow of the previous conviction
The bariatric surgeon faces a very recent legal precedent. Dr. Cristiano was sentenced a few weeks ago by the Court of Nola (Judge Zingales) to two years in prison for manslaughter. The sentence concerns the death of Raffaele Arcella, a 29-year-old from Caivano, who also died following gastric bypass surgery performed by the doctor at the Trusso Clinic in Ottaviano. This precedent inevitably looms large in the San Marino courtroom.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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