Hi Amit,
I am glad to hear that you are doing so well
However, I am heartbroken to hear of the tragedy of this little girl. There are several things that come to my mind when I read the report and watch the news video.
* A 3 year old cannot actually have a root canal like adults can because the root structure of deciduous (baby) teeth are very short unlike adult teeth which are long. If a child has a deep cavity or bad break in a tooth, the center area of the tooth called the pulp chamber can become infected. The procedure to remove the nerve tissue of the pulp chamber is called a pulpotomy and that is what this little girl had done. Some dentists refer to a deciduous pulpotomy as a baby root canal because the procedure removes the vitality from the tooth just like a root canal procedure does in an adult tooth. The difference is that the pulpotomy is quick and takes one visit unlike a root canal which can take an hour or more and more than one visit.
* There is a possibility that this child was given nitrous oxide. Although that was not mentioned in any report that I have seen, it is something that should be questioned because N2O can cause the patient to become unconscious and if the gas is not flushed from the system with pure oxygen the result can be fatal.
* There is a possibility that the girl had an allergic reaction to the local anesthetic and/or she was given too much. Either one of those incidents could result in anaphylaxis or even cardiac arrest depending on the anesthetic given.
* It appears to me that all of the facts have not been disclosed because from the way the story has been told, the dentist was definitely negligent for not responding to an emergency situation. That alone would cost him in the very least temporary suspension of his dental license until the case was solved.
Again, this story is truly heartbreaking. I have known of a few cases of this happening and I have personally witnessed similar situations that fortunately had a better outcome. My heart goes out to this family.......
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by amitsa
Bryanna,
I am Amit again from Mumbai ,India. I had my root canaled tooth removed three months ago and its been great for me. Its like I have got a new life coming back from the doorsteps of illness.My health has improved
by leaps and bounds.
I wish to ask you a question.It is not concerning me though. On June 29th exactly two weeks ago,a very unfortunate incident occured in Pune which is just three hours drive from Mumbai. A three year old girl went to a paediatric dentist for a root canal. The dentist administered her local anaesthesia probably xylocaine.. After that,she went sleepy very unusually as per her father who was with her near the dentists chair. The dentist continued to drill her teeth and her parents asked him why is she behaving like that. The dentist said its normal. He continued to work ,then stopped and put cotton in her mouth. When her father lifted her from the chair and shook her,she was unconscious. He asked the dentist why is she not waking up. The dentist's attitude was indifferent. He said she will wake up in a minute or two.But if you have any doubt in your mind,please take her to a paediatrician. Her father quickly took her to the paediatrican who said she should be taken to the hospital. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead before admission.
The autopsy reports are yet to come. The case is with the police. This case is the first of its kind in India and has received huge media hype and public protest.Medical experts think it could be due to some anaphylactic action. The dentist refuses that there was any overdose because it is at high volume though that would come out in the autopsy. He said it is a one in a
one lakh very very rare case.
My first question is
' Was it possible to save this girl assuming this was a death due an anaphylactic reaction ? '
My second question is
'Is the dentist guilty if it was an anaphylactic reaction ? What does the US law say in this ? '
Please see these links -
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/47918656.cms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_AakRXt0Mo
Thank you .
Amit. |