Died After Surgery at Villa Sofia – Wife Reports: “Treated Inhumanely”
Professor Ludovico Tulumello passed away on March 2, 2023, at the age of 79, four months after undergoing femur surgery at Villa Sofia hospital. His wife is now a member of COMFAM – the Committee of Families and Friends of Victims of Alleged Medical Malpractice at A.O. Villa Sofia-Cervello in Palermo.
A commemorative mass was held for the University of Palermo professor at 6:00 p.m. on Monday at the Regina Pacis Church. Four representatives from COMFAM attended, as the professor’s wife, Caterina Chinnici, officially joined the committee on February 27, 2025.
The Story
In a public statement, Mrs. Chinnici shared her husband’s experience and the motivations behind her involvement:
“We brought my husband to the hospital where he was supposed to undergo surgery within 48 hours to prevent the risk of embolism. Instead, the operation took place on October 7, 2022. None of us in the family were allowed to see him. We received minimal and insufficient information—just once a day.
“He spent three days on a stretcher in the emergency room, two more in the ward, and was finally transferred to orthopedics on October 4. The operation was performed on the 7th, and by October 11, he was discharged and taken home by private ambulance.”
“All of this, and more, was told to me by my husband, who expressed deep distress about how he was treated and the lack of attention given to patients. When he came home, he still had the needle from the IV in his arm, which I had to remove myself, and a large, painful bedsore on his back that we treated for months. His operated leg was one centimeter shorter, and he was left in a state of severe physical and emotional decline.
“Despite home care and treatment from specialists, he never recovered. Sadly, on March 2, 2023, his heart stopped. I don’t know if there is a direct connection between the hospitalization and his death—maybe I’ll never know—but what I do know is the inhumane condition in which I found my husband after thirteen days: alone, confused, and without proper assistance.”
“No one should be treated like that—left to fend for themselves. I have to restore my husband’s dignity. In those twelve days, they didn’t even change his clothes. I found him in the same pajamas he was wearing when admitted, with the sleeve cut to place the IV. No one helped him eat—he had lost a lot of weight. When he returned home, Ludovico told me he never wanted to go back to the hospital again, saying it was like hell.”
“It took me two years to find the courage to contact lawyer Andrea Dell’Aira, after seeing on TV the case of the 76-year-old man who died in the Villa Sofia emergency room after being left there for 17 days with a fractured shoulder. I’m not seeking compensation—I want to restore my husband’s dignity and ensure that what happened to him, and to that other gentleman, never happens again.”
Professor Ludovico Tulumello
Source: Palermo Live / Redazione