A Neapolitan man died in Turin after undergoing a heart transplant; an investigation has been opened.

Turin – The Turin Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered unrepeatable technical investigations to clarify the cause of death of Raffaele Miele, the thirty-six-year-old from San Paolo Bel Sito, in the province of Naples, who died last October 1st at Molinette Hospital following a heart transplant. The investigation, coordinated by Public Prosecutor Giorgio Nicola, is currently open against unknown persons on suspicion of manslaughter. The appointment of the court-appointed technical consultants, doctors Matteo Attisani and Alessandro Cicchini, has been scheduled for next Wednesday.

The family's refusal to allow the hospital to conduct an internal examination

The court's decision follows a complaint filed by the victim's family, represented by Francesco Petruzzi of the Naples Bar Association. The family requested direct judicial intervention to fully investigate any negligence, incompetence, or errors in treatment, and also requested verification of the suitability of the transplanted organ.

The relatives opposed the autopsy, which was simply an internal diagnostic test at the Molinette Hospital: "We demanded a unique technical assessment ordered by the Prosecutor's Office, not an examination conducted by the facility's own employees, where, according to the family, errors may have been made," explained attorney Petruzzi, highlighting serious inconsistencies between the repeated reports from medical staff and the evolution of the patient's clinical picture.

The call, the intervention and the complications

Raffaele Miele, suffering from severe dilated cardiomyopathy, had been waiting for a compatible organ for some time. The turning point seemed to have arrived last September 24th, when the Turin hospital called for his admission and surgery. Having entered the operating room on the morning of September 25th, the thirty-six-year-old underwent a delicate procedure that lasted approximately twelve hours.

At the end of the operation, the surgeons told the family that the surgery had been technically successful, but that the new heart was having serious difficulties maintaining its natural rhythm, making ECMO support necessary for extracorporeal circulation.

Worsening and death

Over the following days, the situation progressively worsened. Due to heavy bleeding, the patient was rushed to the operating room. Despite doctors' attempts to stabilize his complex clinical condition, culminating in yet another operation to reposition the cannulas on October 1st, the young man's condition worsened irreparably, culminating in his death. The medical-legal report ordered by the Prosecutor's Office will now determine the cause of death.