Maradona's doctors ignored cardiac arrest signs, expert testifies

During the trial for the medical team responsible for Diego Maradona's care, a testifying cardiologist stated that doctors failed to act on clear signs of cardiac arrest in the weeks leading up to the football legend's death. Dr. Gustavo Di Niro, part of a medical board formed in 2021, told the court that Maradona displayed numerous warning signs, including fluid buildup, breathing difficulties, and an altered state of consciousness.

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When one sees these elements, one must think that the patient may be having a cardiac event.

"When one sees these elements, one must think that the patient may be having a cardiac event," Di Niro explained. He also noted that nurses recorded tachycardia and high blood pressure, which he would treat if a patient presented with such readings in his office. Di Niro emphasized that the correct response to these alarms would have been to "increase the complexity of medical care," but the attending doctors, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, did not change their approach.

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increase the complexity of medical care

Di Niro's conclusions were based on Maradona's medical history, particularly a 2000 incident that led to a diagnosis of "dilated cardiomyopathy." This condition, often resulting from substance abuse, leaves chronic and definitive damage. The expert also highlighted that Maradona had reportedly stopped taking a hypertension medication shortly before his death, a decision Di Niro found unusual given that such medications also treat heart failure. He further suggested that the diagnostic tests performed on Maradona were "basic," with more precise options available for evaluating potential heart disease.

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One in general does not suspend the medication for cardiomyopathy, even if the heart's ejection capacity improves.