One of the biggest killers of survivors from surgery is a condition called "COMPLICATIONS".
Complications from surgery is a serious problem today and must have been a much dire factor in Lizzie's day.
Lizzie died of complications from surgery.
The condition which finally did her in was complications of the heart caused by surgery, or as is written on her death certificate, "MYOCARDITIS".
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart which may be caused by infection, or as is common in third world countries, a virus.
Did Lizzie have myocarditis before the operation?
Was it a life threatening condition, before the operation?
If Lizzie had a healthy heart which was strained by an operation, or caused by a condition which she did not have before the operation, such as an infection or virus concluding in myocarditis, or worsening an existing myocarditis condition shorting her life, can we conclude that she died of a heart attack?
If she did not have the gall bladder condition, could she have lived several years more?
We all die from something and what ever it is that kills us concludes with the heart stopping.
(I have a friend with a wife who died at 35. She had lung cancer and was on a vigorous campaign to beat it. After several years she finally beat it. A year later she died of liver disease........caused by all the medication she took for her cancer. What did she die from; the cancer or liver disease?)
Are we splitting hairs?
Was it a coincidence that Lizbeth had an operation just before she died of myocarditis?
My conclusion is that Lizzie died from complications from surgery. The gall bladder surgery killed Lizzie Borden, not her heart.
Or at least that is how I see it.