Unfortunately, tragic complications involving anesthesia during dental procedures are a real issue. Typically, occurring when anesthesia is administered by a dentist who has received some training, instead of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
This is because the dentist is concentrating on doing the procedure and do not recognize there is an issue with their airway, until it’s to late.
Fox News Reports on Texas dentist accused of fatal mistakes after 4-year-old dies during dental procedure.
A Texas dentist has been arrested after investigators found a 4-year-old girl died from a toxic dose of an opioid following what was supposed to be a routine dental procedure, with officials alleging the child’s distress went unrecognized until it was too late.
Dr. Chrishelle Hemphill, 48, was arrested Wednesday and is charged with recklessly causing serious bodily injury to a child, a second-degree felony, after investigators claimed her actions during an April 1 dental procedure resulted in the death of Aithana Rodríguez-Arriaga, 4.
According to the Fort Worth Police Department, firefighters responded to Cuddle Kids Dental after staff reported the 4-year-old had become unresponsive following the procedure. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, Aithana’s mother told investigators she felt rushed into signing paperwork before the procedure and watched as Hemphill handed her daughter a cup containing liquid medication, encouraging her to drink it before she was taken into the treatment room.
According to the affidavit, Aithana received chloral hydrate, hydroxyzine and meperidine in addition to nitrous oxide gas. While each medication individually fell within recommended limits, investigators allege Hemphill failed to account for the powerful combined effect of the drugs.
Police also allege Hemphill failed to recognize signs that Aithana was slipping into respiratory distress and administered flumazenil, which reverses benzodiazepines, instead of naloxone (Narcan), the medication used to counter opioid overdoses.
About an hour later, she was brought back into the room and found her daughter unresponsive while Hemphill attempted to wake her with a popsicle, according to investigators. Emergency crews were then called.
Investigators also cited findings from a board-certified anesthesiologist, who concluded Aithana was not properly monitored during the critical recovery period after sedation and that the emergency response failed to address opioid-induced respiratory depression.
