Maradona’s doctors missed renal red flag, Argentinian court told

What the report says

A specialist testified in an Argentine court on Tuesday that Diego Maradona’s worsening kidney condition should have alerted his doctors to serious danger before his death in 2020, according to Al Jazeera. The hearing is part of a second trial examining whether members of Maradona’s medical team were criminally negligent in their care of the football legend, who died at age 60 while recovering from brain surgery.

Nephrologist Hernan Trimarchi told the court near Buenos Aires that Maradona had chronic kidney disease and that his kidneys showed damage linked to factors including obesity, cocaine use and hypertension. He said the former star should have been receiving close monitoring, including daily medical and nursing checks, blood tests and vital-sign tracking. He also said there was no record of blood tests during the two weeks Maradona spent convalescing at a private home in the Buenos Aires suburb of Tigre.

The trial is reviewing the conduct of seven healthcare professionals, including Maradona’s personal physician, psychiatrist and nurses, and whether the decision to keep him at home rather than in a medical facility put his life at risk. Maradona’s death was attributed to heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema. In earlier sessions, the court saw images of his final state, and Trimarchi is the third specialist cited as saying warning signs were missed. The defendants deny responsibility and could face long prison terms if convicted.