The family of a four-year-old preschooler from Oregon filed a $22 million lawsuit claiming that a dental visit resulted in the child having severe brain damage.
The medical negligence lawsuit, which was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on July 30, alleges that the child, who is identified as M.L., overdosed on sevoflurane. This caused the four-year-old's heart to briefly stop beating until they were resuscitated.
Child Suffers Brain Damage After Dental Visit
The incident allegedly left the child significantly brain-damaged, so they are now forced to relearn how to walk and talk. The lawsuit names the dentist, Dr. Dustin M. Davis, the anesthesiologist, Lane D. Robinson, and Sunnyside Dentistry for Children as the defendants.
The family's lawyers said that they have not yet received a response to the lawsuit that has been filed. The incident started when M.L. visited Sunnyside Dentistry on July 24, 2024, for a routine dental procedure to have some cavities fixed, according to NBC News.
The lawsuit noted that the child was given anesthesia under the direction and care of Davis, with assistance from Robinson. It added that the procedure was done despite one of M.L.'s parents sharing their reservations.
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However, shortly after the child was given anesthesia, M.L. went into cardiac arrest while sitting in the dental chair. They were then resuscitated using chest compressions and epinephrine injections before being transferred to a hospital.
The suit notes that the defendants failed to adequately monitor the child's vitals or respond to signs of distress, which allowed the heart to stop. It added that this resulted in M.L.'s brain becoming damaged due to a lack of oxygen, Yahoo News reported.
A $22 Million Lawsuit
The family's attorney, Kirc Emerson, said that the child visited the office a few months before the incident, where Davis allegedly tried to use nitrous oxide to perform the procedure. However, the doctor recommended that the family come back another time so they can use general anesthesia instead.
Following the incident, M.L. stayed in the hospital for weeks to be treated for brain swelling and was later placed on a feeding tube. The child was said to have lost motor functions that the four-year-old had before the whole ordeal.
Before suffering brain damage, the four-year-old child was said to have been able to dress and use the bathroom without any help, as well as sound out words and write. But now, M.L. wears diapers and has regressed in motor functions, as per Dr. Bicuspid.
