A British mother died after 'complications' during a £2,000 weight loss operation in Turkey, an inquest heard.

Leanne Michelle Leary had a heart attack on the operating table due to undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the hearing was told.

The 38-year-old was resuscitated and rushed to intensive care, but suffered a second fatal cardiac arrest the following afternoon on July 2 last year.

Rochdale Coroners' Court heard Ms Leary, a mother-of-three, had fallen on the stairs at work and then complained of leg pains after travelling to Istanbul to watch Manchester City beat Internazionale in the Champions League final the month before her death.

On her return to the UK she underwent tests for DVT, but they were inconclusive, the inquest heard. The compliance manager told her friends she had a 'small blood clot' which didn't require treatment.

Leanne Leary died of a heart attack while having a weight loss operation in Turkey as a result of ndiagnosed deep vein thrombosis, an inquest heard

The inquest heard Ms Leary, who had asthma and pneumonia, had originally booked the gastric sleeve surgery in April to take place in October, but brought it forward to July while she was off work sick.

She didn't inform her parents of her plans to undergo the £2,000 operation for fear they would try to talk her out of it, nor did she discuss it with her GP.

Ms Leary's final text messages to her father, Paul Dermody, as she was about to go into surgery on the morning of July 1, were read out in court.

The mother-of-three, who had a BMI of 47, wrote: 'I didn't want people to try put me off. I need this for me and my health.'

Mr Dermody told the court: 'I said I fully support what you are doing, but I want to know where you are every step of the way before and after surgery.'

Ms Leary's mother, Kathleen Scott, said: 'I would have 100 per cent talked her out of it. You have to think of the kids. But she felt like there was nothing to worry about because she so desperately needed and wanted this operation.' 

When Ms Leary hadn't responded to a number of texts her family began to worry. and a friend who spoke Turkish contacted the hospital outside Istanbul and was told she had suffered a heart attack during surgery.

Her parents caught the first flight to Istanbul, where they were met by an interpreter. On arrival at the hospital they were informed that Ms Leary had died.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis. Pathologist Dr Sami Titi said it was likely the DVT was present before Ms Leary left the UK.

Mr Dermody said he had concerns about the speed with which the operation had been arranged and the risks of people travelling abroad to undergo surgery. He also said it appeared the hospital hadn't taken any next of kin details in case of an emergency.

Coroner Catherine McKenna recorded a conclusion that Ms Leary had died of 'recognised complications of an elective surgical procedure combined with underlying medical conditions'.

Ms McKenna said: 'This case underlines the importance of transparency when it comes to surgical procedures. It is imperative to anyone considering a procedure that, irrespective of how straightforward it may seem, all surgery carries risk.

'It's so important to discuss any surgery with one's GP and that that surgeons carrying out the procedure are aware of one's medical history.'