Death of Eduardo Frei Montalva

Eduardo Frei Montalva, President of Chile, died on January 22, 1982. reportedly following a low-risk surgery. Questions continue to surround the events that led to his death and recently, Chilean justice has accused that Frei was murdered with small doses of toxic substances.

Eduardo Frei was one of the opposition leaders against the government of President Salvador Allende. As such, he supported the Chilean coup of 1973 that deposed Allende and initially supported the administration of general Augusto Pinochet.

In 1981, Frei was suffering from chronic acid reflux, stemming from a hiatal hernia, a very uncomfortable but essentially low risk condition. After consulting with several specialists, he decided to have it treated via surgery. The surgery was performed at the Santa María Clinic in Santiago on 18 November 1981 by a team of three surgeons: Dr. Augusto Larraín Orrego, Dr. Patricio Silva Garín, and Dr. Ivo Eterovic. At the time, Dr. Larrain was a world-renowned gastric surgeon, as well as a cousin of Andrés Zaldívar, one of Frei's closest advisers.

The initial surgery was considered a success and, after a few days, Frei was discharged to continue his recovery at his home. However, Frei began experiencing fever and pain a few days later and was readmitted to the Santa María Clinic on 4 December. After a complete check, he was diagnosed with an intestinal occlusion and a partial necrosis of the small intestine. He underwent a second (corrective) surgery on 6 December, this time performed by Dr. Patricio Silva Garín.

Despite another initial bout of improvement over the next several days, Frei's health once again severely deteriorated and he was found to be suffering from septic shock and septicaemia. After suffering a complete immune system collapse, Frei died on January 22, 1982. His death was attributed to an infection by the fungus candida albicans, contracted either during surgery or due to hospital contamination. He was buried in the Cementerio General de Santiago.

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Wikipedia