He died after three cosmetic surgeries: conviction requested for three doctors

Torre Annunziata – The trial into the death of Vanessa Cella, the 37-year-old who died on March 26, 2022, following a lengthy cosmetic surgery session, is nearing its final chapter. In the Torre Annunziata Courtroom, Public Prosecutor Marianna Ricci has requested sentences for the three professionals involved in the case: 3 years and 6 months in prison for the anesthesiologist, 3 years for the operating surgeon, and 2 years and 6 months for the medical director of the "Santa Maria la Bruna" nursing home in Torre del Greco. Sentencing is expected next Friday, October 2nd.

Three operations in a single session and seven hours of anesthesia

According to investigators' reconstruction, the woman—who is separated and the mother of a 17-year-old boy—had been offered three different surgical procedures simultaneously on the same day: rhinoplasty, liposuction, and breast augmentation.

A single operating room forced the victim to remain under the influence of anesthetic drugs for an estimated 6 to 7 hours, between the surgical and post-operative phases. From that induced sleep, however, Vanessa Cella never awoke.

The prosecutor's office's findings focused specifically on the amount of anesthetic administered and the management of emergencies within the healthcare facility. In her closing statement, the prosecutor harshly described the team's actions, arguing that "the foreseeable and avoidable complications that can occur in any surgical procedure were not addressed due to the carelessness of the healthcare workers."

Among the elements that emerged from the trial was the frantic rescue operation: the one who attempted to revive the patient was a doctor who was not involved in the operation and lived near the clinic, alerted at the last minute by the nursing staff, alarmed by the clinical picture.

The legal battle and the reconstruction in the courtroom

The trial, which began on September 9, 2023, consisted of 20 hearings with a dense technical content. During the trial, 15 witnesses were examined and the expert reports of 15 technical consultants appointed by the parties were examined to reconstruct the causal chain of death and determine whether medical protocols were violated.

Warning signs and the timing of the transfer to the other facility were the focus of the civil action. "When she was taken from the clinic to be transported to the Ospedale del Mare," reiterated the family's lawyer, Enrico Ricciuto, "Vanessa was already lifeless, as confirmed by the 118 emergency workers." On October 2nd, the single judges will be called to pronounce the sentence and determine whether there was criminal liability for the woman's death.