Family of Boy Who Died after Dental Anesthesia Seeks Answers
The family of a four-year-old boy in California, who died after a dental procedure, is still looking for answers about the reasons for his death. The boy had been taken to a dentist in Oakland, for tooth extractions and dental capping. He was administered a dental anesthetic. However, things worsened rapidly from then on. The boy slipped into unconsciousness, and despite efforts to revive him, died.
The boy had been born with a cardiac defect, involving a hole in the wall separating the right and left ventricle of the heart. When he was about a year old, he had a pacemaker installed. According to his family, he was in good health after he had the pacemaker installed.
The family says that the doctors at the hospital where the dental procedure was performed were aware of the boy’s medical history, because it was the same hospital where he has had his open-heart surgery. Every six months, he visited the hospital for a cardiac checkup.
The family is now waiting for a report on the cause of death from the coroner's office. However, the report is not due for a month. They have no answers from the doctors or are any of the staff at the hospital where the procedure was performed. All the family knows right now is that they took their child to the hospital for a dental procedure, and brought him home dead.
A dental malpractice investigation into this tragedy will likely focus on the boy's medical history, and whether proper precautions were in place before the boy was administrated the anesthetic. Individuals, especially children and the elderly, with cardiac problems must have their medical history carefully reviewed before any dental procedure.
Robert Fleming is an Atlanta dental malpractice lawyer, representing persons injured by the negligence of dentists, dental assistants and other dental professionals across the metro Atlanta region.
