Corfu, Greece – The family of a 34-year-old woman who died in January after a routine tonsillectomy in May 2025 is demanding answers, alleging that medical errors and omissions led to her untimely death. The woman, Nicoletta, underwent surgery for tonsil removal on May 28, 2025. Following the procedure, she experienced an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was administered, which her family and their lawyer claim was mishandled, leading to severe complications.
Allegations of Medical Negligence
According to Kiki Bakirtzidou, the family’s lawyer, critical mistakes were made after Nicoletta’s allergic reaction. “During her hospitalization at the clinic, a specific antibiotic was administered, which caused an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction requires immediate treatment, and the most important thing is to secure the airway. That is, to ensure the person can maintain their breathing, oxygenation of organs, heart, brain, lungs, because the first thing a doctor fears is laryngeal edema,” Bakirtzidou stated.
She further emphasized, “Here, there were criminal omissions; the child was not intubated as she should have been, resulting in the brain being deprived of oxygen. She was transferred to the ICU with a long delay and, of course, entered a vicious circle that led to her being in a comatose state. She never recovered, was transferred from the ICU to a rehabilitation unit, to hospitals, where she lost her battle for life.”
Family’s Heartbreaking Testimony
Nicoletta’s mother, whose name was not provided, tearfully recounted the events. “I took my child to the hospital for a routine operation, after the tonsillectomy, and my child ended up in the ground. She suffered an allergic shock; they delayed too long to deal with it, a huge mess ensued, with the result that they could not deal with my child’s health condition, causing very serious damage to her health. And for months, from May 28 until her death on January 14, we were in rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and ICUs, until my child ended up in Larissa.”
This is the second tragedy for the family, who lost their eldest daughter to ovarian cancer 13 years prior at the age of 24. “She was a creature who had given us life again after what had happened to us. Thirteen years ago, we lost our eldest daughter. We lived in Veria; my child was studying in Corfu. We went to Corfu while Nicoletta was studying, and we decided to change our lives, and she gave us life again, living together, we became a family again, we found our smile and we were able to accept Christina’s loss. What happened with Nicoletta now, we truly did not expect it at all. I want to know what really happened to my child. If there is a medical error, I want to know it, and I want those who did it to be punished. A creature cannot have died from a simple tonsillectomy like this,” the mother continued.
Struggling to Obtain Medical Records
Both the mother and the lawyer highlighted the difficulties in obtaining Nicoletta’s complete medical file from the hospital. “A struggle began with the hospital to get the archive of this medical file, which the hospital is obliged to keep diligently and record everything that is required. And we received a file with extremely incomplete records, with critical points missing. We sent extrajudicial notices and emails to be able to collect the file,” said Bakirtzidou.
She added, “Tracheostomy should have been performed to ensure the oxygenation of the organs. This girl was led to a comatose state, never recovered, and to this day we are fighting to collect her file.”
The mother concluded, “I want to know what really happened to my child and how she reached this point. We went in for a simple tonsillectomy. They told me she had an allergic reaction, I was there at the time, from a drug. I need to know exactly what happened and why it took so long to deal with it.”
The family intends to appeal to the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, with a letter, urging him to pressure the Corfu hospital to provide Nicoletta’s medical file to her parents.
Source: https://www.thetoc.gr
