Nelson man died in Serbia following "drug aid" operation

A Nelson man who travelled to Serbia to have an operation to combat his drug addiction died from complications during surgery.

Mr Mohammad Attar Javed Sadiq (49) died in the Pasterova Hospital, in the Serbian capital Belgrade on February 25th last year after suffering a heart attack.

An inquest at Burnley Coroner's Court heard how drug user Mr Sadiq, of Every Street, had travelled to the Balkans with a friend with the intention of undergoing a procedure whereby an implant would be inserted as an aid to stopping taking drugs.

The operation involved inserting a tube into the side of the navel.

East Lancashire Coroner Mr Richard Taylor saw the results of two post-mortem examinations, one conducted in Belgrade, and one in Blackburn.

The Serbian examination found that Mr Sadiq died from heart disease aggravated by acute pneumonia. A second post-mortem, carried out by pathologist Dr Richard Prescott, gave the cause of death as bronchial-pneumonia.

Mr Taylor said: "It is quite clear from the statements that cardiac arrest happened during the course of elective surgery. Therefore the appropriate conclusion is one of misadventure."