Maurice Gibb died because his bowel and small intestine had become so twisted they restricted his blood flow, according to post-mortem results released today.
The Bee Gees vocalist (53) died in Miami, Florida, on Sunday, three days after suffering a heart attack prior to undergoing emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage.
Dr Bruce Hyma, the Miami-Dade County medical examiner, says Gibb died because a condition called ischemic enteropathy which restricted the flow of blood to his bowel.
The autopsy, which was performed on Tuesday, did not give the immediate cause of the twisting, but it says the singer was born with a malformed intestine that experts say could lead to life-threatening kinks.
Dr Jeffrey Raskin, interim chief of gastroenterology at the University of Miami School of Medicine, says a twisted bowel could cause a lack of blood supply to the organ and an array of other internal problems.
"It can lead to a cardiovascular collapse and possibly could have contributed to the cardiac arrest," said Dr Raskin, who was not involved in Mr Gibb's treatment.
"The event itself leads to a bunch of metabolic and potentially infectious cardiovascular things which lead to a death," he said.
Gibb's brothers, Robin and Barry, have questioned the decision by doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Miami Beach to operate after their brother's heart attack. A hospital spokeswoman has declined to comment.
PA