New revelations about the death of Diego Armando Maradona: Critical failures in his medical care
The trial seeking to clarify the responsibilities in the death of world football legend Diego Armando Maradona has added a key testimony that points to decisive negligence in his final days. Forensic doctor Carlos Mauricio Cassinelli, who coordinated the Interdisciplinary Medical Board, stated in court that the Argentine idol showed clear signs of heart failure that were ignored by his healthcare team.
During the hearing, the specialist detailed that Maradona’s clinical condition included alarming symptoms that required immediate intervention. Among the manifestations detected were:
- Edema or swelling in the legs and various areas of the body.
- Difficulty breathing and persistent snoring.
- High blood pressure and episodes of tachycardia.
- Excessive urine production.
The fluid accumulation that Maradona presented was a direct consequence of a severe deterioration of cardiac function; the heart was unable to pump blood correctly, causing dangerous congestion in the lungs and extremities.
Carlos Mauricio Cassinelli, forensic doctor
Absence of effective medical control
One of the most critical points of Cassinelli’s testimony is the lack of professional supervision during the home hospitalization, which took place between November 11 and 25, 2020. According to the expert, although neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov were linked to the case, there was no medical figure who assumed comprehensive and responsible monitoring of the former player’s health status.
The Medical Board, after an exhaustive analysis of medical records and the work of more than twenty specialists, concluded that home hospitalization was not the appropriate environment for someone with Maradona’s pathologies. The professionals should have, according to the expert, performed in-person evaluations, consulted with cardiologists, or managed an urgent transfer to a hospital center to stabilize him.
A fatal outcome
The report confirms that the cause of death, which occurred on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, was congestive heart failure accompanied by acute pulmonary edema. This judicial process continues its course to determine whether the omission of basic care by the medical team constituted negligent action that could have prevented the tragic end of the Argentine star, who had undergone surgery for a subdural hematoma just weeks earlier.
