Maradona trial: Doctors missed kidney 'red flag,' specialist testifies as test mix-up emerges
A nephrologist has told the trial into Diego Maradona's death that the football legend's failing kidneys should have been a red flag for his doctors, while separately, the trial was briefly suspended after a health company admitted to a mix-up involving medical tests.
Nephrologist Hernan Trimarchi told a court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, that Maradona, who died aged 60 while convalescing after surgery for a brain clot, suffered from "chronic kidney disease." Trimarchi said the player's kidneys were heavy and contained lesions linked to a history of obesity, cocaine use, and hypertension. He added that "at a minimum," the patient should have undergone "daily medical check-ups, daily nursing care, blood tests and monitoring of his vital signs," and that there was no record of any blood test being performed during his two-week convalescence.
Maradona died of heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema – a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs – at a rented home in the Buenos Aires suburb of Tigre on November 25, 2020. The trial is examining whether the decision by his medical team to allow him to convalesce in a private home instead of a medical facility endangered his life. Seven healthcare professionals, including Maradona's personal physician, psychiatrist and nursing staff, are accused of providing woefully inadequate care. They deny the charges.
Test mix-up causes suspension
The trial was briefly suspended after defence lawyers claimed that kidney tests presented to the court belonged to Maradona's father, also called Diego, who died in 2015. Health insurance company Swiss Medical later admitted that tests it released to a medical commission "remained mistakenly filed under the name Diego Armando Maradona" when they belonged to Diego Salustiano Maradona.
The company's admission came in a letter seen by AFP. The blunder was spotted by a lawyer defending one of the seven healthcare professionals on trial. As a result, the court adjourned the case until August 27 to allow for a review of the medical evidence. Trimarchi had based his analysis on the wrong test results.
The mix-up caused further embarrassment for the court, which saw a first trial collapse last year over a conflict of interest involving one of the judges. The latest trial, which began in April, resumes on Thursday and is expected to continue until at least September.
Evidence and testimony
During his testimony, Trimarchi said that Maradona's ballooning size and blood pressure should have been cause for concern. In April, the court was shown images of the star on his deathbed, his stomach grotesquely distended by oedema. An autopsy showed he was in agony for several hours before his death. Trimarchi is the third specialist to tell the court that Maradona's doctors missed crucial warning signs. The accused risk up to 25 years imprisonment if convicted.