Maradona Trial: Medical Examiner Blames Staff for Ignoring 'Alarm Signs'

During the trial concerning the death of football legend Diego Maradona, a medical examiner has accused his medical entourage of failing to heed "alarm signs" regarding the former Argentine striker's health status before his passing in 2020.

Diego Maradona exhibited "alarm signs" in the days leading up to his death in 2020, which were reportedly disregarded by his medical team. This accusation was made Tuesday by a medical examiner participating in the trial of seven healthcare professionals facing potential charges of fatal negligence. Dr. Carlos Cassinelli is among numerous practitioners who have testified over the past four months in San Isidro. His testimony carries significant weight, as he was a member of the extensive 22-person interdisciplinary medical commission established by the judiciary in 2021 to investigate Maradona's case. He was also one of the experts who conducted the autopsy.

"There were alarm signs: edema in the lower limbs, edema in the fingers, snoring, shortness of breath, signs of hypertension or tachycardia," Dr. Cassinelli enumerated. "No one investigated what these generalized swellings were about," he stated, adding that they represented "a vital risk." He concluded, "The final outcome was death. It is considered that these alarm signs were not taken into account by the doctors because their attitude did not change."

The trial is expected to extend beyond August

Dr. Cassinelli delivered one of the most accusatory testimonies to date regarding the lack of attention surrounding Maradona during his two-week post-operative recovery in November 2020, at a rented residence in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires. "The degradation was progressive. From his hospital discharge until his death. At least ten days before his death, the alert could have been raised," he insisted.

Echoing a previous deposition, he recalled that the medical commission estimates "Maradona's agonal phase lasted approximately 12 hours" – a timeframe that has not yet reached a consensus among all parties in the trial. Dr. Cassinelli described it as "a phase between life and death during which functions are gradually lost. A phase where the transition to death is irreversible."

In recent weeks, several other witnesses – including a security guard and a masseur – have converged in their accounts of lax attention surrounding the star in his final days. Maradona was found dead in his bed around midday on November 25th, at the age of 60, from a cardiorespiratory arrest coupled with pulmonary edema. The seven healthcare professionals on trial (a doctor, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and nurses) face up to 25 years in prison but deny any responsibility. Most cite their specific specialties and segmented roles, claiming no direct link to the clinical causes of death. The trial is anticipated to continue beyond August.