The tragic case of soldier Nikos Gatsios sheds light on critical medical errors during thyroid cancer surgery, leading to calls for accountability

The forensic expert concluded that Gatsios died last November due to injuries sustained during a procedure to treat thyroid cancer.

This report supports the claims made by Gatsios’s father, who alleged that his son passed away from medical negligence at the 424 Military Hospital.

The findings of the forensic report by Ms. Aspasia Delilingka, included in the case file on September 5, 2024—ten months after Gatsios’s death—state: “The body of Nikos Gatsios, aged 26, shows the aforementioned injuries in the context of surgical intervention for thyroid cancer. The cause of death was attributed to a cervical hematoma due to rupture and bleeding of vessels in the area.”

The family’s advisor, forensic expert Dimitris Galenteris, had reached a similar conclusion in his report, noting that Gatsios’s death resulted from internal bleeding. Specifically, it was found that a vein had been improperly sutured, while an artery was cut and not even stitched.

Developments in the Case

This case, which was brought to light by “THEMA” last March, has now been referred to military justice, with additional testimonies being collected and potential criminal charges expected in the next phase.

The countdown for Nikos Gatsios’s life began on October 22 last year. The young man had graduated from the Department of Design Engineering Systems at the University of the Aegean in Syros, had started working, and was considering pursuing postgraduate studies abroad with his girlfriend. However, he had military obligations to fulfill, so he enlisted to resolve this requirement and move on with his life.

On October 22, his father, Aris Gatsios, was informed by the unit where he was serving in Trikala that his son had been transferred to the 404 Military Hospital in Larissa and subsequently referred to the 424 Hospital in Thessaloniki for examinations.

He was told there was a problem with his throat and lymph nodes, and later it was determined that surgery might be needed to remove his thyroid. Ultimately, as Mr. Gatsios reported to “THEMA,” it was confirmed that it was thyroid cancer, and on October 31, he was readmitted to the 424 Hospital for a scheduled surgery on November 3 to remove the thyroid and clear the lymph nodes.

Everyone reassured him that things would go well. “The unit is well-organized; there will be no problems,” said the unit director. Indeed, he was informed that the surgery went well, and at 1:30 PM on November 3, Nikos Gatsios was taken out of recovery. He was moved to a regular ward, where his father overheard him complaining to a nurse about difficulty breathing. “She paid no attention and told him everything would be fine. Three hours later, the boy passed away. When they notified the surgeon, who had left the hospital before my son had even regained consciousness, it was already too late.”

The Gatsios family has not received answers and it took ten months for the forensic report to be completed. While the autopsy was conducted with the presence of both the family’s technical advisor and an appointed advisor from the doctors, the report was delayed pending the results of histological examinations that had been ordered and were necessary for the submission of the report by the Forensic Service in Thessaloniki.

This was due to the fact that the service did not have contracts with laboratories that conduct such tests, causing samples from Nikos Gatsios’s body to remain in the fridge for months along with countless others.

The Father’s Statement

The case file formed by the Pavlos Melas Police Department in Thessaloniki has now been referred to military justice. Nikos’s father has already been summoned and provided a supplementary statement, while the next stage is expected to involve criminal prosecutions. Mr. Gatsios detailed everything he knew about his son’s hospitalization, while raising additional questions seeking explanations, such as why the nurse did not request or follow postoperative instructions and did not even know who performed the surgery on his son.

He also proposed witnesses and reported that during the critical moment when his child was between life and death in the hospital, there was no staff available, for example, in the resuscitation department. “As I learned,” he says to “THEMA,” “repeated calls were made to that specific department, with no result. The consequence of all these errors and omissions was that my child died,” says Mr. Gatsios.

According to the family, the Military School of Trikala, where Nikos Gatsios was serving, had undertaken to conduct an internal investigation, which had not been publicized so far, given that the official forensic report from the public had not been received. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Mr. Gatsios reported to “THEMA” that there was an attempt to persuade him to relinquish his right to an autopsy, as a death certificate could be issued since the fatal event occurred within the hospital. In this way, the family claims there was an attempt to cover up the incident, but fortunately, the father did not sign the document.