Teen dies after 'routine' wisdom tooth surgery

[Solince The Wolf]

My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

[xdivision_whitey]

Jaden Kazega

Pessimist

I wonder... would that be so easy to say if it were your daughter?

Also Cost of coffins tombstones funeral arrangements aren't cheap.


According to FuneralTips.com, in 2009 the average funeral cost is around $7,500.

casket: $600 and $10,000
funeral director serivce: $1,400
embalming: $600
Call hrs: $400
ceremony: $450
Transportation: $625
miscellaneous expenses writing & placing the obituary, obtaining the proper permits and providing a register book: $500
Plots: $1000
The hole: $500
The tombstone average price: $1500

You know I look at this and it was cheaper years ago when my dad died.

[Fourth Chakra]

That poor family. emotion_0A0

When I was young I had a heart murmur which I still take antibiotics when I go to the dentist for. Even though the heart murmur is gone and I'm 23 years old, my parents still come with me and tell the dentist and staff about it, just in case. I really don't think she should have gone alone. I mean, it might not have done any good but you never know... sweatdrop

Being put under isn't just an everyday thing. neutral

[Nyadriel]

Jefferson Starships

That poor family. emotion_0A0

When I was young I had a heart murmur which I still take antibiotics when I go to the dentist for. Even though the heart murmur is gone and I'm 23 years old, my parents still come with me and tell the dentist and staff about it, just in case. I really don't think she should have gone alone. I mean, it might not have done any good but you never know... sweatdrop

Being put under isn't just an everyday thing. neutral

PUH! You lucky! I was born with mine along with other problems with heart and my murmur will never go away because the valve is defective.
(Trilogy of the Fallot is the birth defect I was born with and it sucks)

[Fourth Chakra]

Nyadriel

Jefferson Starships

That poor family. emotion_0A0

When I was young I had a heart murmur which I still take antibiotics when I go to the dentist for. Even though the heart murmur is gone and I'm 23 years old, my parents still come with me and tell the dentist and staff about it, just in case. I really don't think she should have gone alone. I mean, it might not have done any good but you never know... sweatdrop

Being put under isn't just an everyday thing. neutral

PUH! You lucky! I was born with mine along with other problems with heart and my murmur will never go away because the valve is defective.
(Trilogy of the Fallot is the birth defect I was born with and it sucks)

I'm so unbelievable lucky. Especially since my cousin had a heart murmur too but his got worse and had to have surgery. It was weird because we are roughly the same age and we found out about the same time. x_x Scary as hell but he made it out okay.

I'm sorry about yours. ;;

[Nyadriel]

Jefferson Starships

Nyadriel

Jefferson Starships

That poor family. emotion_0A0

When I was young I had a heart murmur which I still take antibiotics when I go to the dentist for. Even though the heart murmur is gone and I'm 23 years old, my parents still come with me and tell the dentist and staff about it, just in case. I really don't think she should have gone alone. I mean, it might not have done any good but you never know... sweatdrop

Being put under isn't just an everyday thing. neutral

PUH! You lucky! I was born with mine along with other problems with heart and my murmur will never go away because the valve is defective.
(Trilogy of the Fallot is the birth defect I was born with and it sucks)

I'm so unbelievable lucky. Especially since my cousin had a heart murmur too but his got worse and had to have surgery. It was weird because we are roughly the same age and we found out about the same time. x_x Scary as hell but he made it out okay.

I'm sorry about yours. ;;

Yeah, he is also lucky not to have developed other serious problems with that such as Atriofib-something (which is another part of my problem and is also permanent - but the fix was not). My valve was never fixed because even now (at age 50) it is still considered an optional thing. But at my age, I know all the different options I have to consider in fixes available and go for the second oldest and cheapest procedure.

In the meantime, I DO have to keep telling the dentist about my heart condition and be on antibiotics (standing orders from my surgeons from years ago) and etc.

Oh and I cannot have them use Novocaine. Why? Cause it does not even work! Is like giving me water! So they have to use Lanacaine (only thing they can use really because of my heart condition)

[bluespinach]

Poor family, that had to be so unexpected. I'm glad I didn't read of any medical horror stories when I got mine removed; I was scared enough.

[David2074]

Pessimist

emotion_facepalm Why are they suing the dentist and the anesthesiologist? I'm sorry for the family's loss, but neither of them did anything wrong. No one did anything wrong. Anesthesia of any sort, both local and general, carries a risk.

The quotation makes around 'routine' make me want to slap someone, too. It was a routine procedure. A routine procedure that had an unfortunate, but not unprecedented outcome.

EDIT: Once again, people want to know why health care costs so damn much? Here you go, another baseless malpractice suit that will come some out of the doctor's pocket, some out of their insurer's, and some passed onto the consumer. I know these people lost their daughter, but if their first instinct is to sue, my sympathy dwindles.

The death was ruled an accident. That isn't the same as saying no one did anything wrong. It does imply they didn't do anything grievously wrong. If the timing mentioned is accurate it does seem odd to me that within 15 minutes of dropping her off they knew everything had gone south and were calling the parents and ambulances. That implies they put her under hell quick and possibly rushed something. Assuming no wait time say at least five minutes to get her checked in and back to the chair, settled and apparatus on. The call to the parents would have come after the call to paramedics so, within about 7-10 minutes they went from starting to put her under to 'oh s**t we have a medical emergency'. I've been under a few times and it usually does not go that fast.

You also seem to be assuming the parents are suing for dump trucks full of cash. And they might be. But people sue for other reasons too such as to draw attention to problems, seek procedural changes and so on.

Years ago dentists were sort of under a different set of rules from surgeons and were not required to have an anesthesiologist put the patient under, they just did it themselves. I came very close to being another Jenny. I was in for a root canal and they put me under with a shot. They had trouble getting me to sleep so they used a pretty damn big shot. I remember commenting to them the syringe looked like ones I used on our cattle. When I woke up they were VERY attentive and nice to me and wanted to help me to the car and stuff. I found out later from my mom I'd been out for over four hours since they were done and an hour past when the office was supposed to close. My mom was the only one left in the waiting room and kept asking where her son was. I didn't think too much about it at the time but a few years later a coworker had his daughter die that way.

It is possible that people suing about the old way is why dentists now have to have an anesthesiologist. Not all lawsuits are inherently greedy or evil.
Either way, sad story for all concerned.

[Pessimist]

David2074

The death was ruled an accident. That isn't the same as saying no one did anything wrong. It does imply they didn't do anything grievously wrong. If the timing mentioned is accurate it does seem odd to me that within 15 minutes of dropping her off they knew everything had gone south and were calling the parents and ambulances. That implies they put her under hell quick and possibly rushed something. Assuming no wait time say at least five minutes to get her checked in and back to the chair, settled and apparatus on. The call to the parents would have come after the call to paramedics so, within about 7-10 minutes they went from starting to put her under to 'oh s**t we have a medical emergency'. I've been under a few times and it usually does not go that fast.

You also seem to be assuming the parents are suing for dump trucks full of cash. And they might be. But people sue for other reasons too such as to draw attention to problems, seek procedural changes and so on.

Years ago dentists were sort of under a different set of rules from surgeons and were not required to have an anesthesiologist put the patient under, they just did it themselves. I came very close to being another Jenny. I was in for a root canal and they put me under with a shot. They had trouble getting me to sleep so they used a pretty damn big shot. I remember commenting to them the syringe looked like ones I used on our cattle. When I woke up they were VERY attentive and nice to me and wanted to help me to the car and stuff. I found out later from my mom I'd been out for over four hours since they were done and an hour past when the office was supposed to close. My mom was the only one left in the waiting room and kept asking where her son was. I didn't think too much about it at the time but a few years later a coworker had his daughter die that way.

It is possible that people suing about the old way is why dentists now have to have an anesthesiologist. Not all lawsuits are inherently greedy or evil.
Either way, sad story for all concerned.

I'm not entirely sure why you're questioning the initial time frame. I've also been put under general (and recently, as in, within a year) and it does not take very long. Based on the article, she was put under, it was determined she wasn't under 'enough, she was given a second dose, once again, following SOPs, then she began to have heart issues.

And given that their lawsuit includes the dentist, the anesthesiologist, their practice and two associated practices, this still sounds more like suing out of vindication versus genuine wrongdoing.

[David2074]

Pessimist

I'm not entirely sure why you're questioning the initial time frame. I've also been put under general (and recently, as in, within a year) and it does not take very long. Based on the article, she was put under, it was determined she wasn't under 'enough, she was given a second dose, once again, following SOPs, then she began to have heart issues.

And given that their lawsuit includes the dentist, the anesthesiologist, their practice and two associated practices, this still sounds more like suing out of vindication versus genuine wrongdoing.

I'm saying 15 minutes (or less) seems like an awfully short time frame to go from checking her in and prepping to to first dose, to second dose, to determining the second dose was too much and calling for ambulance and parents. It sounds like they did not give enough time for the first dose to take full effect and/or they did overkill on the second dose. I acknowledge I was not there and do not really know. It just seems awfully fast compared to the times I've been put under.

And, put that way it does sound like the lawsuit is rather broad.

[Pessimist]

David2074

Pessimist

I'm not entirely sure why you're questioning the initial time frame. I've also been put under general (and recently, as in, within a year) and it does not take very long. Based on the article, she was put under, it was determined she wasn't under 'enough, she was given a second dose, once again, following SOPs, then she began to have heart issues.

And given that their lawsuit includes the dentist, the anesthesiologist, their practice and two associated practices, this still sounds more like suing out of vindication versus genuine wrongdoing.

I'm saying 15 minutes (or less) seems like an awfully short time frame to go from checking her in and prepping to to first dose, to second dose, to determining the second dose was too much and calling for ambulance and parents. It sounds like they did not give enough time for the first dose to take full effect and/or they did overkill on the second dose. I acknowledge I was not there and do not really know. It just seems awfully fast compared to the times I've been put under.

And, put that way it does sound like the lawsuit is rather broad.

I think in this case, we do need a little more information that we probably won't be getting due to patient confidentiality. I will agree that 15 minutes seems short, but to me it seems as if the procedure went something like; they gave her the first, determined the it wasn't enough, gave her the second, she went brady, emergency procedures were started, then parents contacted. But the only time we're actually given is 8:05 am as the time that she went brady.

It's unfortunate, and I do feel bad for the family, but I find this sort of thing very frustrating.

[PururinEleven]

Pessimist

emotion_facepalm Why are they suing the dentist and the anesthesiologist? I'm sorry for the family's loss, but neither of them did anything wrong. No one did anything wrong. Anesthesia of any sort, both local and general, carries a risk.

The quotation makes around 'routine' make me want to slap someone, too. It was a routine procedure. A routine procedure that had an unfortunate, but not unprecedented outcome.

EDIT: Once again, people want to know why health care costs so damn much? Here you go, another baseless malpractice suit that will come some out of the doctor's pocket, some out of their insurer's, and some passed onto the consumer. I know these people lost their daughter, but if their first instinct is to sue, my sympathy dwindles.

Pretty much sums it up. I've heard of people suing their vets because their pets died under anesthesia, not realizing that putting them under, even for teeth cleanings, is a huge risk. I'm sure it doesn't happen often, but it does happen. My sister can't be put under for anything because it'll make her violently ill for days.

Also, I think it's ridiculous how many dentists insist that we need to have our wisdom teeth taken out. Some people I can understand have problems with them and do need them taken out. My dentist has been telling me for years that I need to have my wisdom teeth taken out "just in case" and "for the future". Why do I need to have perfectly good teeth yanked out of my head?! I've never had a problem with them, I had plenty of room for them, and my teeth are naturally pretty straight.

I think it's kind of sad that having wisdom teeth taken out has become "routine practice". I wonder if this poor girl really needed her wisdom teeth taken out, or if the dentist just decided it'd be a good idea because it'd mean a couple extra bucks in his pocket.

Also, why was she left alone? When my fiance had some teeth pulled a few years ago they wouldn't let him into the surgery room unless someone was with him and stayed in the waiting room the whole time. I was told that until he was in recovery I wouldn't be allowed to leave the premises. Why did her parents just drop her off!?
Also, usually when an anesthesiologist is involved, doesn't someone have to sign a waver that states the risks? I can understand why they'd sue if no such form was presented.

[TigerLilyChick]

This is sad, but I understand why the parents are suing (although it should just be the anesthesiologist who should be sued). If the anesthesiologist used the right amount of anesthesia (let's assume the anesthesiologist didn't), hypoxia wouldn't have occurred.

"First, you want to make sure that there will be someone other than the surgeon monitoring your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, Fleisher said." When I went under for my wisdom teeth removal, there was an oral surgeon and TWO nurses in the room with me.
“You can never think that a routine procedure is just merely routine,” Garger said. “Anything can go wrong.” This is true. Even minor surgeries carry risk. When I was looking up information after my consultation, it said that wisdom teeth removal was a major surgical procedure. Don't blame the doctor.

[Pessimist]

PururinEleven

Pretty much sums it up. I've heard of people suing their vets because their pets died under anesthesia, not realizing that putting them under, even for teeth cleanings, is a huge risk. I'm sure it doesn't happen often, but it does happen. My sister can't be put under for anything because it'll make her violently ill for days.

Also, I think it's ridiculous how many dentists insist that we need to have our wisdom teeth taken out. Some people I can understand have problems with them and do need them taken out. My dentist has been telling me for years that I need to have my wisdom teeth taken out "just in case" and "for the future". Why do I need to have perfectly good teeth yanked out of my head?! I've never had a problem with them, I had plenty of room for them, and my teeth are naturally pretty straight.

I think it's kind of sad that having wisdom teeth taken out has become "routine practice". I wonder if this poor girl really needed her wisdom teeth taken out, or if the dentist just decided it'd be a good idea because it'd mean a couple extra bucks in his pocket.

Also, why was she left alone? When my fiance had some teeth pulled a few years ago they wouldn't let him into the surgery room unless someone was with him and stayed in the waiting room the whole time. I was told that until he was in recovery I wouldn't be allowed to leave the premises. Why did her parents just drop her off!?
Also, usually when an anesthesiologist is involved, doesn't someone have to sign a waver that states the risks? I can understand why they'd sue if no such form was presented.

I completely sympathize with your sister. I have to have a different type of general anesthesia then whatever they normally use because I will be so damn sick. Unfortunately insurance doesn't like that, so I get to fight with them over it.

Wisdom teeth are becoming a vestigial organ as humans have developed smaller jaws, hence why some people do need to get theirs removed. Their jaws simply cannot hold that extra set of teeth. However, I do agree that if they're not causing problems, you shouldn't be yanking them out 'just in case'. Apparently several organizations here and across the pond recommend that you *DON'T* remove healthy wisdom teeth. Stick to your guns about keeping them if your dentist gets on your case about it. As we've sadly seen here, surgery is not risk-free.

I do still REALLY question that 'being dropped off' part. That just seems so odd. Like I've said before, I've been put under repeatedly, and someone always had to be waiting for me. Always.

[PururinEleven]

Yeah, I understand that some people just don't have room for them. I've also heard of cases of people having multiple sets of wisdom teeth. My fiance waited until he was 28 to have his wisdom teeth out because he broke one and it caused him such great pain that he figured he'd have them all removed at once so he wouldn't have to go through it again. (He doesn't take good care of his teeth though, so he is partially to blame.)

I plan on keeping mine as long as possible. I've always had good teeth and I take care of them. After having them, at this point, I can't imagine living without my wisdom teeth. I'm glad to hear that not all dentists want to rip them out immediately.

I feel bad for the family for having to go through this. However, hopefully it'll serve as a warning.