A 38-year-old woman of Greek origin, Arianna Akrivouli, died during an IVF procedure in Bitritto, near Bari. The woman, who resided permanently in Italy, passed away during a fine-needle aspiration in an ovary.
The Bari prosecutor’s office launched an investigation and two Conversano Hospital doctors have been called to testify for complicity in manslaughter.
At the same time, an investigation was launched from the Italian Ministry of Health. Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin has ordered a team of specialists to visit Conversano Hospital to determine what caused the woman’s death. The first investigation results are expected within 48 hours.
The two doctors spoke to Italian media, arguing that her death was the result of complications that were impossible to predict. However, they admitted they were unable to state the exact cause of these complications. The Bari prosecutor is awaiting further information from the autopsy.
The investigation was ordered following a complaint by the unfortunate woman’s 83-year-old Greek father. “We are all shocked. We cannot continue like this,” said Akrivouli’s sister, Alessandra, to the media. “We are devastated. This should not have happened. My brother was outside the operating room, waiting, and then they came out and said what happened,” she added.
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