anesthesia

Thirteen Year Old Girl Dies After Dentist Visit

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I was sad to hear about the death of a 13 year old girl recently after she had a visit to the dentist. Marissa Kingery visited Dr. Henry Mazorow, an 80 year old dentist, who has been in practice since 1956, to remove two baby teeth and uncover an impacted tooth. The tentative cause of death is lack of oxygen to the brain following the administration of anesthesia. Marissa died in early January 2011 after being on life support for nearly two weeks. She was an eighth grade honor student and her fellow classmates and staff recently held a vigil to remember her along with a moment of silence. This occurred in Ohio. In May of 2010  a six year old boy who died during a dentist visit. For additional details visit http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2011/01/07/news/doc4d27207bd2d5d011029191.txt and http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2011/01/08/court-records-show-dentist-settled-wrongful-death-lawsuit-in-1997/

Anesthesia in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Office

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The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) is continuing to attempt to increase their ability to attract young adults to elect to have their wisdom teeth removed. Back in May 2010 they released a video called “Anesthesia: Safety and Comfort in the OMS Office.” The video is over nine minutes long and takes viewers into actual Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon’s offices with interviews by Dr. M. Anthony Pogrel who is Professor and Chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of California, San Fransisco, Dr. Andrew Herlich who is Chief of Anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Michael Miloro who is director for the Postgraduate Residency Training Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, Dr. Michael Ding who is Chief Resident of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at … Read more

Dental Needle Could be Replaced

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I find this study to be quite interesting as I have had anesthesia delivered directly in my nose before in an attempt to prevent my constant 24/7 headache. New evidence has emerged that a common local anesthetic, when administered to the nose as nose drops or a nasal spray, travels through the main nerve in the face and collects in high concentrations in the jaw, teeth, and structures of the mouth. William H. Frey II and colleagues found that drugs administered to the nose travel along nerves and go directly to the brain, although I really don’t think this finding is novel. One of those nerves is the trigeminal nerve, which brings feelings to the face, nose and mouth. Until now scientists never paid much attention to intranasal drugs passing the nerve in the nose and how it might reach … Read more

Six Year Old Dies After Dentist Visit

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A six year old boy has died during a recent visit to the dentist.  This said story has been reported by several news sources such as MSNBC. An autopsy is currently being conducted to determine the specific cause of death. However, the boy was given anesthesia  during the dental procedure and died after the breathing tube was removed. This tragic story has occurred in Virginia. Sedation certainly caries risks when at the dentist and I have previously reported on this blog of a case where someone has died after undergoing anesthesia while having their wisdom teeth removed. If you are considering having anesthesia while visiting the dentist or oral surgeon you should be aware of the risks and potential harmful complications that can occur.

Childhood Exposure to Anesthesia linked to Learning Disabilities

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Mayo Clinic researchers have found that children undergo multiple surgeries with anesthesia during their first three years of life are at higher risk of developing learning disabilities. Using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, researchers studied the medical records of over 5,000 children fromwho were born between 1976 and 1982. The research team, led by Robert Wilder, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist, found that although one exposure to anesthesia was not harmful, more than one almost doubled the risk that a child would be identified as having a learning disability before age 19. The risk also increased with longer durations of anesthesia. Even so it is unclear whether the anesthetic, the physiological stress of surgery, or the medical problems that required surgery necessary are responsible for the increased risk of learning disabilities. The general anesthesia chemicals in use during … Read more