FLASH
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Massimo Ferro, 54, an entrepreneur from Camposampiero (Italy), had decided to lose weight after years of unsuccessful diets. He turned to a private clinic in Milan, which promised him a long-term solution and suggested that he undergo the surgical intervention in Tirana, at a facility affiliated with the Italian clinic. It was a “sleeve gastrectomy”, an operation that reduces the volume of the stomach.
The intervention did not have the expected outcome. Massimo Ferro died on December 22 in Albania. To shed light on the incident, the Padua prosecutor, Andrea Girlando, has registered as suspects the surgeon Andrea Formiga and the dietician Alessandra Freda, both from Lombardy. An autopsy will be performed in Padua on Monday; the forensic pathologist appointed by the prosecutor is Dr. Antonello Cirnelli.
In December, communication between Ferro and the surgeon took place via WhatsApp messages, where information about the procedure, costs and logistical organization was provided. The price of the operation, 4,400 euros, was significantly lower than the approximately 15,000 euros requested in Italy. During the visit on December 6, 2025, where Ferro presented himself with his eldest son, the surgeon explained the intervention and assured the patient about the laparoscopic technique and the speed of the process.
Even though Ferro suffered from type II diabetes and weighed 108 kilograms, the surgery was scheduled for December 18 in Tirana. The preoperative tests, which he was unable to complete in Italy, were postponed to be performed the day before the intervention in Albania.
According to the family, represented by lawyers Stefano Squarise and Jenny Lopresti, none of the procedures foreseen by the Italian and international guidelines for obesity surgery were respected. They state that there was no prior dietary and behavioral treatment, no multidisciplinary assessment, and no specific preparation before the operation. The only instruction given, according to them, was that the patient should remain sober from the previous evening. Massimo Ferro arrived in Tirana on December 17 with his wife.
The operation was performed on December 18. After the procedure, Ferro contacted his family, assuring them that everything had gone well. From the following day, his condition began to deteriorate: he became increasingly drowsy, unresponsive, and his blood sugar level remained high. On December 20, he developed a fever of up to 38 degrees, which was treated with paracetamol.
On December 21, with a temperature of 39 degrees and serious difficulty breathing, he was taken to the emergency room of the public hospital "Mother Teresa" in Tirana. There, he underwent several examinations, but according to the report, antibiotics were only administered in the evening, before he returned to the clinic. During the night, his condition worsened further. On the morning of December 22, Ferro suffered a cardiocirculatory arrest inside the clinic. He was then transferred by ambulance to the intensive care unit of the public hospital.
In the afternoon, doctors reported that his condition had stabilized, but in the evening, his wife was called urgently. When she arrived, Massimo Ferro had passed away.
According to the family, so far no one has given a clear explanation for the cause of death. "We just want to know why Massimo did not return home," write his wife Romina and children. / From Corriere della Sera
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