A simple trip to the dentist caused the death of an autistic 4-year-old boy from Vancouver. The child never woke up after being anesthetized as part of a routine procedure at Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry.
The patient, Mykel Peterson, had problems keeping his mouth open. The dental center gave him a common anesthesia, called Ketamine, in order to sedate him while the dentist checked whether his teeth needed a filling or a crown.
The kid's mother, Thmeka Curry, said that the dentist had checked her son's teeth. After the procedure, the dentist wanted to see whether the kid was awake.
4-Year-Old Boy Dies At The Dentist
The child was given a shot instead of the usual gas, to be put to sleep while the dentist examined him. Before the child's examination, his mother carried him in the room where he was put to bed. Immediately after that, the woman was asked to wait in the lobby while the dentist carried out the procedure.
After the examination, Mykel was carried to the recovery room, waiting for the drug to wear off. After a while, a nurse noticed that the kid hadn't been breathing, and his mom was, once again, asked to leave the room. The medical team started doing compressions, and then the kid was rushed to a nearby hospital.
"The anesthesiologist started to check his pulse and was shaking him and at this point I am still not aware anything happened to my son," she said.
The child was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead. A medical examiner is still working to determine the exact cause of death, and the child's family will only have the results of the toxicology report after eight weeks.
Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry said that the institution only works with highly qualified anesthesiologists, who have already performed more than 1,900 procedures in the last three years and a half.
"We contract with an independent, highly qualified and experienced board-certified anesthesiologist for anesthesia services who follow strict protocols, including a pre-operative checkup and clearance by the child's primary physician prior to the procedure," noted the statement.
Health Department Deciding Whether To Investigate The Case
The state is deciding whether or not to investigate this case.
"We received information, notification of this event through what we call a serious reportable event," declared David Johnson, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health.
The team at the ministry is investigating the report, and it will then decide the following course of action. Additionally, an investigation may take place. However, according to Johnson, the decision-making process could take some time, varying from days to weeks.
Before a decision is made, the ministry will not reveal the name of the medical staff who was involved in this situation. Should an investigation actually take place, the names will only be made public after a complaint or investigation is filled in.
Following this unfortunate incident, Curry said that the news has not struck her yet, saying she is numb rather than anything else. The woman is waiting for the toxicology report, which is the only document that could explain what happened to her son.
