Parents of Teen Who Died during Oral Surgery File Dental Negligence Lawsuit
The parents of a 17-year-old girl, who died while she was undergoing oral surgery, have filed a lawsuit against the oral surgeon and anesthesiologist involved in the procedure.
The death occurred in March this year, when 17-year-old Jennifer Jenny Michelle Olenick visited the dentist's office of Domenick Coletti for the surgery. According to the report by the chief medical examiner, she was first given a standard dose of anesthesia. However, the dose was insufficient to get her completely sedated. She was then administered an additional dose of anesthesia. This was also part of standard procedure.
However, when the procedure was underway, she began to experience bradycardia, a slowing down of her heart rhythm. This was followed by a drop in the oxygen saturation in her blood. She went into hypoxic arrest, and at this point, the doctors called in emergency personnel. Olenick was then rushed to the hospital, where she was in a coma for a few days. She died on April 6.
According to the autopsy report, she suffered acute hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy from oxygen deprivation, and a brain edema. The chief medical examiner's report cites hypoxia or oxygen deprivation that occurred during the anesthesia as the cause of death.
Her parents have now filed a lawsuit against the dentist and the anesthesiologist. According to the lawsuit, as a result of the failures of anesthesiologist and the dentist, the girl did not have a pulse when emergency personnel arrived at the scene. The lawsuit also claims that the 2 doctors were directly responsible for the massive brain injury that she suffered and her subsequent death.
Robert Fleming is an Atlanta dental malpractice lawyer who represents victims of dental negligence in Atlanta and across Georgia.
