No one who takes their child to the dentist expects them to end up with a severe brain injury; however, that is, sadly, what one family experienced with their four-year-old daughter. After being taken to the dentist to treat several decaying teeth and being sedated, she suffered from seizures. Yet instead of calling on emergency assistance or taking the child to a proper hospital, the dentist decided to, instead, administer a medication called Halcion, allegedly causing the child to suffer from severe brain injury as a result. Additional news coverage revealed that not only did the dentist use sedatives, but a controversial restraint known as a papoose, which confines a child’s arms and legs during a procedure. In this particular instance, use of this restraint arguably prevented the child from communicating that she was suffering.
Previous records revealed that this same dentist was reprimanded four years ago for failing to meet the minimum standard of care related to sedating a minor and eleven years ago for failing to meet the minimum standard of care in general, as well as keeping adequate dental records for patients.
Consequences
At this point, the dentist’s license has been temporarily suspended and there will be a license revocation hearing scheduled at the end of March. However, this doesn’t help the family whose child has permanently suffered from brain damage, as they will now have to live with permanent disability for the rest of her life, all due to one dentist’s negligence. The child is currently going through multiple hours of physical and speech therapy everyday in an effort to re-learn how to speak and walk again.
Many know that traumatic brain injuries can cause cognitive disabilities and vision impairment, but many do not realize that they can also bring about psychological repercussions such as depression, anxiety, poor impulse control, and other negative emotions and behaviors. In other words, disrupted connections in the brain can not only alter brain function, but also a person’s mental and/or emotional health. A brain injury affects everything, precisely because the brain does everything for us. And in order to recover from trauma to the brain—if it is at all possible—is to allow the brain complete rest.
Attorneys for Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia drugs are strong, and if administered incorrectly, they can cause serious harm, affecting the brain, heart, or other vital organs. Often this happens as a result of the anesthesiologist behaving negligently in administering the drugs or in not properly monitoring the patient once that they have been put under anesthesia before a procedure.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed as the result of the negligent administration of anesthesia, you may be entitled to compensation. At Dana & Dana, our interest is fighting for victims of negligence. Contact us today for a free consultation.
