Parents allege that medication error caused daughter’s death

On Behalf of | Jan 7, 2014 | Medication Errors

Parents in New Mexico get understandably nervous when their children have to undergo sensitive medical procedures. Children, particularly young ones, may not understand why they might have to be sedated or to go under the knife to address a health concern. Kids may not be able to express themselves adequately if something goes wrong, or if they don’t react well to medication or a particular kind of treatment.

Most folks might think of medication errors as things that might happen while under a physician’s care. However, this isn’t always the case. A couple in Hawaii are suing their daughter’s dentist after their 3-year-old girl suffered severe brain damage and died after going into cardiac arrest during a root canal procedure.

The parents of the deceased girl say that she was left alone for nearly half an hour during the procedure. The pediatric dentist — who has since closed her practice — allegedly had no plan in place to attend to patients who experienced severe problems while under her care.

It isn’t clear why the 3-year-old was receiving four root canals, except for the fact that the dentist advised the girl’s parents to have them done. The girl lived for a month after the procedure; she was reported to be in a vegetative state and had been moved to hospice care prior to her death.

Situations such as this one are undeniably tragic; parents will want to hold responsible parties accountable for the losses they experience. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help to advise a family facing a tough situation such as this one.

Source: Time, “Hawaiian Girl Who Suffered Brain Damage From Dental Procedure Dies,” Courtney Subramanian, Jan. 4, 2013

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