Maradona had "signs of heart failure" days before death, according to expert

Diego Maradona exhibited clear signs of heart failure in the days leading up to his death, according to testimony from a forensic medical expert. Carlos Mauricio Cassinelli, coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Medical Board that investigated Maradona's passing, stated in court that symptoms such as edema in the lower limbs, significant fluid retention, snoring, and shortness of breath were all alarm signals compatible with heart failure.

Cassinelli, a former director of Legal Medicine for the Scientific Police, explained that these symptoms, including the exaggerated swelling Maradona experienced, were secondary to his cardiac insufficiency. He noted that the heart's inability to pump blood effectively led to fluid accumulation in other parts of the body. These critical signs, he asserted, should have been properly controlled by the medical professionals overseeing Maradona's care.

The medical board, formed in 2021 at the request of Argentine justice, reviewed Maradona's medical history and reached a consensus among over twenty specialists. Cassinelli highlighted that despite neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov being listed as responsible for Maradona's home care before his death, "there was no single doctor in charge of the patient's evolution." The expert suggested that medical professionals ignored the warning signs, as evidenced by text and audio messages revealed during the trial.

Cassinelli further stated that a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy, potentially caused by cocaine use, would never fully recover. While heart failure can be compensated, he emphasized that Maradona should have continued his medication for this chronic condition. The expert also expressed doubt about whether the medical team was fully aware of or had thoroughly reviewed all of the patient's medical history, especially concerning his hypertension medication, which some reports indicated he had stopped taking shortly before his death.

“

Esta acumulación de líquidos eran signos secundarios a la insuficiencia cardíaca. El corazón no puede bombear la cantidad de sangre que le llega y el líquido comienza a desparramarse hacia otros lugares del cuerpo.