Dentist who administered anesthesia to 9-year-old girl before her death previously faced disciplinary action
Remember the 9-year-old girl who died after undergoing a dental procedure under general anesthesia? Documents showed that it was not the first time a patient faced a severe complication under the care of the same dentist.
Citing official records, PEOPLE Magazine reported that Dr. Ryan Watkins from California was slapped with disciplinary action in 2020 in connection with the case of a 54-year-old whose heart stopped after he was placed under anesthesia by Watkins for a dental procedure. The incident took place in Carlsbad in 2016.
According to officials, Watkins failed to look into the patient's overall health ahead of the procedure, which left the latter not only with fractured ribs due to chest compressions but also a mild neurocognitive disorder (decreased mental function) diagnosis caused by cardiac arrest.
The media outlet reported that while the patient lived an active lifestyle as a triathlete, he had a low resting heart rate, dental phobia, and a history of fainting.
"A doctor concluded that the administration of ephedrine likely caused MK's tachycardia (increased heart rate above 100 bpm) that would have subsided and that the use of adenosine was unnecessary and caused MK's heart to stop (asystole)," per the document.
Watkins was placed under probation for 35 months. He was allowed to work but with additional requirements, and was ordered to pay for legal costs that reached over $19,000 (more than PhP1 million).
His license was restored after "successful compliance with the conditions of probation, and completion of the probation term."
The incident happened before a young girl named Silvanna Moreno died in March this year after a dental procedure under general anesthesia administered by Watkins at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista, California.
Methemoglobinemia in the setting of recent nitrous oxide administration was listed as the cause of her death. Methemoglobinemia is a rare condition that "affects how red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout your body," per Cleveland Clinic. The autopsy report by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office stated that nitrous oxide was one of the anesthetics she had during the surgery.
Watkins noted that Silvana "never exhibited" warning signs throughout the procedure. He stressed that they made sure to look through her medical and dental history before the surgery and "maintained our standard of care with continuous monitoring by me."
Watkins said Dreamtime Dentistry is now looking into the matter internally. "We are committed to learning from this tragic event and will implement any additional safety measures that may help prevent such occurrences in the future. We extend our deepest condolences to Silvanna's family and ask for continued respect for their privacy during this time of grief," he continued.
