A driving examiner from Wales bled to death during a £2,750 weight-loss operation in Turkey, an inquest has heard.
Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor in Gwynedd, suffered fatal damage to her main artery during gastric sleeve surgery at the Ozel Rich private hospital in Antalya.
The mother-of-two went into cardiac arrest during the procedure on August 5, 2023, and despite emergency efforts by medical staff, she died in intensive care the following day.
Savage had worked as a driving test examiner in Bangor for eight years and was recently promoted to recruitment ambassador.
North Wales Coroner’s Court heard Savage had been given a course of weight loss jab Ozempic
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Savage had contacted Regenesis Health Travel in July 2023, booking the surgery within 24 hours of her initial enquiry. She had previously been taking the weight-loss drug Ozempic but told the health tourism firm she no longer had access to it and was concerned about rapidly gaining weight.
The inquest heard she aimed to lose three stone and had a body mass index (BMI) of 30.7, placing her at the start of the obese range.
In messages to the firm's client administrator, Savage had expressed she was "a little worried" about having the operation.
According to translated notes from surgeon Dr Ramazan Azar, a 3-4mm "defect" in Savage's aorta artery was discovered when the operation began.
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The Ozel Rich private hospital in Antalya
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The surgical team attempted to repair the damaged artery and cancelled the planned gastric sleeve procedure due to complications.
Alison Ergun, a client service officer for Regenesis, said: "There was a complication and she had stopped breathing in the first few minutes of surgery."
Medical staff in the intensive care unit were unable to find a pulse, and Savage was pronounced dead in the early hours of August 6.
A post-mortem examination carried out at Glan Clwyd Hospital by pathologist Muhammad Aslam confirmed the cause of death as acute bleeding from the abdominal aorta, which had been repaired.
Caernarfon Driving School paid tribute, saying: "Just heard the sad news that Jan Savage one of our examiners at the Bangor Test Centre has passed away. Our thoughts are obviously with her family at this upsetting time."
Senior coroner Kate Robertson recorded a narrative conclusion, noting that evidence from deaths abroad "isn't perhaps to the extent we would have in this country."
The NHS warns people to be cautious when considering surgery abroad, noting that safety standards may not be as high as in the UK.
The health service advises: "Be cautious of websites selling cosmetic surgery as part of a holiday...Make sure you have a consultation with the surgeon and avoid meetings only with salespeople."
It also warns against paying for unseen hospitals or surgeons not met in person. The NHS emphasises that while pre-surgery holidays are possible, post-surgery tourism is unrealistic and potentially dangerous.
