The director of Plastic Surgery of Thriasio Hospital was shocked by Ioanna Paliospirou's testimony today in the vitriol trial.
Maria Kalofonou, the director of plastic surgery at the hospital, testified today and said only a spoonful of vitriol can cause death.
The defendant in the case, Efi Kakaranzoula, was also present at the trial today, taking her place in court without looking at Ioanna, who is attending the trial.
The two women did not even exchange glances and the defendant entered from the edge of the room, looking straight ahead and sat down. Ioanna was already sitting in her place.
It should be noted that today in the trial was also the 40-year-old, who is said to be the person who had become obsessed with the accused, and for whom the 36-year-old attacked Ioanna with vitriol.
Kalofonou was categorical in her testimony and highlighted that Ioanna could have lost her life due to the amount of acid thrown on her.
The doctor stated: "I visited Ioanna Paliospirou on the second day after the attack. Burns take two to three days to heal so that what we call oligarchic shock does not happen.
"This can happen in such cases and affect all organs. This is what we tried to avoid in the first days.
"It was a deep burn, we could tell from the first moment. It was completely thick and this means that all the skin has burned and there is no possibility of regeneration.
"This means that the skin will turn gray, black and will have to be removed."
Kalofonou also pointed out to judges and jurors that Ioanna's eye was also endangered, while she referred extensively to the first surgeries that the woman underwent, which lasted 4-5 hours.
The doctor also referred extensively to the efforts made to address the problem of Ioanna's eye, which underwent a total of nine surgeries.
"She had two septic episodes, that is, germs in the blood. The second episode in early July scared us even more because there was no antibiotic to deal with it," the director of plastic surgery said.
"When we put Ioanna in the operating room, we did not know where she had reached.
"The acid goes deep, it could have burned muscles or bones. She could have lost her life."
Kalofonou, referring to the state of health of Ioanna in the first days, said in her testimony: "We are talking about loss of life. The lethal dose in vitriol is 10ml, ie one teaspoon is enough to kill if swallowed."
The prosecutor asked the witness about the amount of fluid thrown.
"A fluid that reaches a person and affects the scalp, chest and large part of the body, we are talking about a large volume. Think how much water someone would have to throw at you to cover such a surface," she said.
Finally, Kalofonou testified that the help of the pharmacist was "savior".
"I wonder how she found the strength from the pain of that moment to reach the pharmacy. I wonder how she did not faint from the pain.
"If she had fainted from the pain of the attack and had fallen into the liquid, who knows what would have happened.
"When vitriol falls, it releases heat and steam.
"We know that vitriol came in contact with the airways after it had burned in the nose. If she had taken a deep breath, her life would have been in danger.
"Also, if the fluid had continued to work and she had not reached the pharmacy to be washed, it would have advanced to the cervix, through which many vessels pass, which if corroded, could lead to death."
READ MORE: Acid attack: No apology offered in court, Ioanna’s mother calls perpetrator a “snake”.
