The Maradona Death Case: Doctor Confirms Warnings That Warranted “Changing the Medical Protocol”

A heart specialist criticized the medical team surrounding Diego Maradona during his final days in 2020, pointing out that there were warning signs in the Argentine football legend’s condition that should have prompted a “change in the medical protocol.”

Dr. Gustavo De Nero testified in San Isidro, north of Buenos Aires, during the trial concerning the death of the 1986 World Cup champion. Seven healthcare workers, including a neurosurgeon who was his trusted physician, a psychiatrist, and nurses, are on trial for alleged negligence that may have contributed to his death.

De Nero said, “Before any patient dies, there are always indicators that allow for a warning to be raised. We should have had an alarm signal prompting a change in the approach,” adding, “But the treating medical team did not do so.”

He continued, “If a patient is observed or suspected to have organ dysfunction and heart failure, the level of care must be escalated and the patient transferred to an appropriate environment, which home care does not provide.”

He considered that in Maradona’s case, who already had underlying heart problems, and with the presence of edema and fluid accumulation in the body, death was not a sudden event but rather “a gradual deterioration or a chronic condition.”

This testimony deals a strong blow to the defense argument of some defendants, who claim that the death was sudden and inevitable.

Maradona was found dead in his bed around midday on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, following a respiratory cardiac arrest accompanied by pulmonary edema, after several hours of suffering, according to expert testimonies.

Carlos Cassinelli, a prominent forensic doctor on the medical committee tasked with studying Maradona’s case, listed a series of “warning signs” ignored by the medical team on Tuesday, including edema, shortness of breath, signs of high blood pressure, and rapid heartbeat.

He emphasized that “the deterioration was gradual (...) and lasted at least ten days (before death). An alarm could have been raised.”

The healthcare workers on trial face penalties of up to 25 years in prison, but they deny any responsibility. Most of them rely on their medical specialties and limited roles, asserting that there is no direct link between them and the clinical causes of death.