A mum-of-three from Salford has died after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) in what the coroner has described as a “truly barbaric medical practice”.
Demi Agoglia, 26, from Little Hulton traveled to Istanbul for the procedure in January this year after seeing ads on social media for Comfort Zone.
After the surgery, the 26-year-old unfortunately died in a hospital in Istanbul, just three days after the operation.
The procedure for a ‘BBL’ sees fat taken from elsewhere in the body and injected into the hips and buttocks.
Bolton Coroner John Pollard found she died from a tiny fat embolism, caused when injected fat enters the bloodstream – with the coroner ruling she died as a result of “accident contributed to by neglect”.
John Pollard said: “I find that there was no appropriate informed consent in this matter, no appropriate pre-operative care and advice and no appropriate post-operative care.
“All of this meant that the overall care fell well below the standard expected for this type of treatment and the lack of care contributed significantly to Demi’s death.
“I feel that something more needs to be done to stop this frankly barbaric medical practice being carried out at such low standards that it would certainly not be tolerated in the UK.”
Bolton Coroner’s Court heard Demi had also struggled with her mental health and was on medication for ADHD and bipolar disorder.
At the hearing, Christine Tydd, Demi’s mother shared that she didn’t want her daughter to undergo surgery as she was a “good girl” and didn’t need the surgery just before traveling.
The 26-year-old traveled to Istanbul on January 4 with her partner, Bradley Jones.
Mr. Jones also shared that she didn’t want to have that surgery either and had canceled the trip months in advance.
He told the hearing: “She was self-conscious about her appearance. He didn’t change his mind.”
Bradley shared that she booked her butt lift through a company called Comfort Zone Surgery after she “saw some celebrity” advertising the procedure.
The couple stayed in a shared villa in Istanbul with Jones describing her as “shaking” and looking “very, very cold”.
Comfort Zone staff were called to the villa after Ms Agoglia complained of chest tightness and they checked her blood pressure, but did not inspect the operation area or check her heart rate and pulse, the inquest heard.
Demi collapsed at the villa the next day and was taken back to Avrasya Hospital where she died.
The surgeon who performed the operation later told Jones that they had done all they could.
But it later emerged that the Comfort Zone staff called to the villa were not qualified nurses – with staff trying to feed Demi pieces of cucumber after she collapsed.
Harley Street plastic surgeon Dr Omar Tillo said: “The lack of appropriate care and response, particularly the failure to deal with post-operative complications, is likely to have played a significant role in Demi’s tragic outcome.”
Dr Tillo continued that the BBL process is carried out in the UK “within very strict rules to do it safely”.
The inquest heard that the coroner’s office had sent several emails to the Turkish hospital and the surgeons involved to get statements about the butt lift operation, but had received no response.
Mr. Pollard added: “Most investigations are sad in nature. This investigation is particularly important as it involved the death of a young woman with significant mental health problems.
“Who, despite the fact that she was beautiful and her partner didn’t think she needed any enhancement, insisted on having a BBL operation.”
He continued: “I found he went to Turkey probably because the process was quicker and cheaper than the UK.
“I find the post-op care to vary from dismal to completely non-existent.
“By the time he got to the hospital it was frankly too late and he was in a critical condition.
“I think it was indicative of the poor level of care that at all times she was taken not by ambulance but by taxi, it was always the same taxi.”
After the inquest, Mrs Agoglia’s sister Chloe, 23, said: “I just wouldn’t recommend anyone going to Turkey for possible surgery or researching more about it if they’re even thinking about it.
“She was so beautiful and just didn’t need any surgery. She only went for the sake of being so down on herself and not feeling good enough.”
Chloe continued: “Our Dem didn’t just leave her family behind, she left the most beautiful little boys.
“Forever and always in our hearts Dem. We really gave it our all. Sleep well Dem.”
