Buenos Aires (EFE).- Cinthya Córdoba, a nurse who cared for Diego Armando Maradona shortly before his death, testified on Tuesday in the trial, recounting an incident where the star «became agitated out of nowhere, didn’t recognize anyone, and claimed he was being persecuted.»
Córdoba was one of the nurses assigned to Maradona during his home care treatment, which took place in a house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires from November 11, 2020, until his death on November 25.
In court, she described an episode that occurred during the early hours of November 14, while she was on duty: «He became agitated out of nowhere, didn’t recognize anyone, and said he was being persecuted. I explained that I was his nurse, but he asked me to change my clothes and leave, claiming it was a persecution,» the nurse testified.
She explained that when she contacted psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, one of the doctors in charge of the star’s health and a defendant in this trial, to report the incident, the psychiatrist responded, «Are you calling me for this?»
«Following that, we were all told not to contact the attending physicians again, with the warning that if we did, we would be dismissed,» Córdoba stated.
Updates regarding the patient were to be provided exclusively to the doctor in charge of Swiss Medical’s home care unit, Nancy Forlini, as she requested in an audio recording played in court on Tuesday.
This decision, Forlini said in the recording, was made in consultation with psychiatrist Cosachov.
Córdoba also reported noting edema (swelling) in Maradona’s lower limbs on November 13 and 21.
The star died from acute pulmonary edema secondary to exacerbated chronic heart failure, according to the autopsy.
Also testifying on Tuesday was Dr. Jorge Macia, who performed a neurological evaluation on the star on November 12, 2020. «From a neurological standpoint, he was completely lucid; I found no deficits of any kind, and he had no balance disorders or signs of chronic illness,» he stated.
In addition to Forlini and Cosachov, those standing trial in this process include personal physician Leopoldo Luque, doctor Pedro Di Spagna, psychologist Carlos Díaz, nursing coordinator Mariano Perroni, and nurse Ricardo Almirón. All are accused of homicide with eventual malice. EFE
fpe/dmv/mcd
