A British grandmother died in Turkey following cosmetic surgery, an inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court has been told. Caroline Baker, 47, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, travelled to Antalya with her daughter in July 2025 to undergo a tummy tuck and breast augmentation.
Her daughter, Kayden, reported that the surgery, initially scheduled for four hours, ran longer, leading to her panic. Doctors informed Kayden that her mother had become ill after the procedures and, despite nearly an hour of CPR, died at approximately 7 p.m. local time.
Turkish authorities recorded the cause of death as a heart attack. However, a separate post-mortem examination conducted in the UK found no evidence of scarring to the heart or findings consistent with a heart attack. This UK post-mortem did identify signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and fatty deposits in her lungs.
Senior Coroner Christopher Wilkinson stated that the surgery itself appeared successful and did not seem to be a direct contributory factor to Mrs. Baker's death. He noted that the medical cause of death was not clearly established due to a lack of further information from Turkish authorities. "It is my understanding the operation was successful. She came out of the operating theatre, and it was in recovery that she struggled breathing and had a heart attack," Mr. Wilkinson told the court.
The coroner concluded that it was more likely that COPD or a lung infection had placed extra pressure on her heart. However, without sufficient evidence from Turkey, he returned an open conclusion. "The only conclusion I can return is an open conclusion that it is possible that she died from natural causes exacerbated by the effects of surgery," he said, extending condolences to the family.
A toxicology report found anaesthetic drugs and Mrs. Baker's prescribed antidepressants in her system, but levels were not high enough to be deemed a contributing factor to her death. Mrs. Baker had previously travelled to Turkey for weight-loss surgery.
Antalya is a popular destination for British citizens seeking cosmetic surgery due to lower costs. In the previous year, over half a million British patients traveled abroad for medical treatment, with Turkey being a top destination, according to Office for National Statistics data.