Man who died in taxi was a surgical emergency

An elderly man who showed up at the emergency room with severe abdominal pain and died in a taxi ride between hospitals had suffered internal bleeding according to results from a post mortem.

According to state pathologists Angeliki Papetta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou, the cause of death for 77-year-old Paraskevas Pavlou was ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Pavlou had visited the Polis Chrysochous public hospital in rural Paphos on Tuesday evening with severe abdominal pain, with reports saying he was turned away due to lack of equipment and staff shortages.

Based on information from family relatives and local media, Pavlou was further instructed to hire a taxi at his own expense after medics said no ambulance was available to transport him to Paphos General Hospital.

Reports said the man had lost consciousness inside the vehicle while upon the taxi’s arrival at Paphos General, doctors said Pavlou had already passed away.

The post mortem was not attended by a representative of the family but the two state pathologists cited ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm as the cause of death.

Health officials have ordered an internal probe into the circumstances surrounding Pavlou’s death.

A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm is considered one of the most fatal surgical emergencies with a high mortality rate, while experts say many patients are at risk of being misdiagnosed possibly due to different clinical presentations.