A 4-year-old Vancouver child died after routine dental procedure.
Vancouver authorities are currently investigating the circumstances leading to the death of a 4-year-old boy from southwest Washington. The preliminary reports suggest that the boy died after being put under general anesthesia, as part of a routine dental procedure. Paramedics were called at the children’s dental clinic but were not able to resuscitate the infant. The dentists claimed that the anesthesiologist who performed the procedure is a certified professional and followed procedure.
The Vancouver health authorities are currently trying to determine how a 4-year-old child died after a routine dental procedure performed at the Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry clinic. According to the investigators, 4-year-old Mykel Peterson was brought by his mother to the pediatric dental clinic for a routine checkup.
After consulting Mykel, the boy’s dentist told the mother that he needed his old dental crown replaced. He also informed Mykel’s parent that this type of surgical procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia for any number of reasons such as good results and patient’s comfort. The mother agreed to the procedure, allowing the dentist’s assistant to take the boy in for his anesthesia injection.
After the anesthetic had been administered, the Vancouver boy was returned to his mother, who was waiting for the clinic’s lounge. However, after a couple of minutes, Mykel’s mom observed that his son was unconscious, but he did not breath. She immediately called the nurse who, in turn, alerted the boy’s dentists and anesthesiologist.
The two medical professional tried to resuscitate the child but to no avail. During this time, the nurse called the emergency line. A team of paramedics arrived after a few minutes and managed to stabilize the boy.
However, after reaching the hospital, the Vancouver boy stopped breathing again. Minutes later, the child was pronounced dead.
Following the child’s tragic death, the Vancouver authorities began an official investigation. Meanwhile, the health officials are waiting for the results of the boy’s autopsy in order to determine if the anesthesia was properly administered.
The Board of Dentists also begun its own investigation, in an attempt to determine whether or not the dentist and the anesthesiologist were following medical procedures during the boy’s surgery. After the boy’s death, a spokesperson acting on behalf of the Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry Clinic declared that the anesthesiologist who administered the injection is a certified professional and that, according to the surgery’s logs, he did not once stray from the safety protocols.
Image source: Flickr