A Northampton mother-of-two died from complications after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Turkey, with her family stating they believe she was not medically fit for the procedures.
Inquest hears details of tragic surgery abroad
Sophie Hunt, aged 34, travelled to Istanbul for an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and a Brazilian butt lift (BBL). She had the operations at the private Nisantasi Hospital on 7 March 2022.
Two days later, on 9 March 2022, she died at Avrupa Safak Hospital in the same city. An inquest held at Northampton Coroner’s Court was told she suffered multi-organ failure following three cardiac arrests.
Family's concerns over fitness and procedure
In a statement read to the court by Assistant Coroner Sophie Lomas, Ms Hunt's mother, Sandra Hunt, expressed the family's grave concerns. She revealed that hospital paperwork indicated "some of her ECG readings indicate an abnormal heartbeat", a condition she had been advised was unhealthy.
"We believe she was not fit for the surgery," Sandra Hunt's statement concluded. The statement also raised the possibility that complications from the BBL, such as the injection or removal of excessive fat, may have contributed to her daughter's death.
Limitations of the inquest and cause of death
Assistant Coroner Lomas noted the jurisdictional limits of the UK investigation, stating, "I do not have the jurisdiction to fully investigate what happened in that hospital." She had to rely on the available information.
A report from Turkey’s Council of Forensic Medicine stated Ms Hunt had no known prior medical illnesses. She was resuscitated after her first cardiac arrest but suffered a second in an ambulance during a transfer to a specialist cardiac unit. She ultimately died from respiratory and organ failure.
Both the Turkish investigation and UK consultant histopathologist Professor Kevin West concluded her death was caused by surgical complications. The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion: "Sophie Hunt died due to complications of a surgical procedure carried out whilst abroad."
Her mother remembered Sophie as an "outgoing, bubbly and very kind" woman who worked as a chef and loved cooking and music.
