The parents of a young girl were given some devastating news after their 3-year-old daughter went in for a dental precedure and suffered brain damage while under sedation. She tragically passed away as a result of a string of errors that were allegedly made, according to a lawsuit filed by the family. New Jersey residents may have read about this story, which has made headlines across the country due to the level of negligence that may have been exhibited.
Early reports indicate that the parents were told that their daughter needed to have multiple cavities filled and four baby root canals by the dentist. They brought her in for the procedures, but the situation quickly turned into a nightmare when the little girl fell into a coma and died. An investigation was launched and reports suggest that there were numerous examples of medical malpractice that may have contributed to the girl’s wrongful death.
The issues were traced back to before the operation ever took place. The dentist allegedly told the family that she would need to fill 10 cavities, but an inspection by another doctor while the girl was unconscious revealed that there were just a few that needed to be filled. Reports from the family’s attorney also state that the X-rays of the girl’s teeth were of such poor quality that they were virtually useless in accurately diagnosing the girl.
Then during the operation, the little girl, who weighed less than 40 pounds, was given the maximum doses of multiple medications and well over the appropriate amount of a sedative.
Further negligence was cited in the doctor’s failure to properly monitor the young girl’s vital signs during the operation. Instead of monitoring statistics every five minutes as is required, a period of 26 minutes elapsed without any vital signs being measured. It was during this time that her oxygen levels dropped dramatically.
Events like these can leave a family devastated. While there is no guarantee that any operation will be completely successful, we should be able to expect that the doctors and medical staff caring for a patient will comply with basic care standards to ensure the best possible outcome. If and when a person is negligent in providing this care, victims of medical malpractice and their families have the right to take legal action against the appropriate party.
Source: The Maui News, “Report: State investigates dentist,” Jan. 9, 2014
