Marissa Kingery death settlement

This report says the Executive Director of the Ohio Dental Board “approved” the settlement.  What is God’s name did she have to do with anything, other than some responsibility into Marissa’s death in my opinion. 

How did such a conversation go anyway?  Did she say, “yeah, that’s a fair price”!!!

 

By Jack Shea Fox 8 News Reporter

6:14 p.m. EDT, October 28, 2011

LORAIN, Ohio—

The family of a Lorain County girl, who died while undergoing oral surgery, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the dentist who performed the surgery.

On December 21, 2010, 13-year-old Marissa Kingery, of Elyria, stopped breathing while having teeth removed at the Lorain office of Dr. Henry Mazorow.
An autopsy later concluded that Marissa's death was accidental, the result of complications from anesthesia administered before the surgery.

The lawsuit filed by the girl's family was settled by Dr. Mazorow's insurance company for one million dollars, to be shared by her parents and their civil attorney.

The Ohio State Dental Board helped negotiate the settlement, and then approved it.

Dental Board Executive Director Lili Reitz told Fox 8, "Our job is to ensure that dentists who are not safe, or who pose a threat, either remediate in the areas where they're deficient, or no longer practice."

[It’s a damn shame Ms. Reitz didn’t feel the same when Mazorow killed the other patient in 1997.  Sounds real noble Ms. Reitz, but your words are empty!]

On September 1, after consulting with the dental board, Dr. Mazorow agreed to retire at the age of 81.

[It took from December 2010 until September 1, 2011 for Mazorow to be forced into retirement?!  Also after 5 years, his record will be wiped clean as Ms. Reitz pointed out earlier this year!]

The case of Marissa Kingery was not the first time Mazorow had been sued for wrongful death. In 1997, 57-year-old Rosemary Johnson died from similar complications while undergoing surgery at the doctor's office. The case was settled out of court for $550,000.

Fox 8 News tried to talk to Dr. Mazorow about what happened to Marissa Kingery and Rosemary Johnson, but were unable to reach him.

Reitz said says the case illustrates the difficulty of regulating dentistry.
"What I have a hard time accepting is our limitations, and our limitations are the license of the individual, and whether or not that person should be, to hold a license, and if so, what needs to be done to ensure that they're safe."

[What’s so damn difficult about it, Ms. Reitz? ]

Dr. Mazorow to retired after killing second patient-Marissa Kingery

 

It’s a damn shame he’s retiring and not having his dental licenses revoked as it should be.

 

Friday May 27, 2011
By KELLY METZ
kmetz@MorningJournal.com

ELYRIA — Dr. Henry Mazorow, the dentist performing oral surgery when a 13-year-old patient became ill and later died, has announced he will voluntarily retire from practicing effective Sept. 1.

Marissa Kingery died from the lack of oxygen to the brain, Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office spokesman Powell Caesar said. Powell could not provide further comment about the results, but did say the death was accidental.

Kingery, of Elyria, was having baby teeth removed in Mazorow’s office on Dec. 21, 2010, when she was rushed to Mercy Regional Medical Center. She was later taken to Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital in Cleveland and placed on life support, but never recovered. She died Jan. 3.

Mazorow, who has an office at 209 W. 21st St., Lorain, appeared before the Ohio State Dental Board this week and announced he would be retiring, according to dental board records. While his official retirement date is set for Sept. 1, he has also agreed to limit his dental practice by not administering any form of general anesthesia or conscious sedation to any patient in the interim.

According to the voluntary retirement form, Mazorow made the decision to retire last month.

Mazorow announced he would stop using general anesthesia in January following Kingery’s death, his attorney Ron Mingus has said. Mingus could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Mazorow has been practicing since 1956. There are no disciplinary actions on his record.

Mazorow’s office declined comment yesterday.

Marissa Kingery Death at Dr. Mazorow’s Dental Office Rule Accidental–I say, Reckless Homicide

Here is Marissa’s deadly poisonous cocktail -

Propofol — the anesthetic that was listed as a “contributing factor” in pop star Michael Jackson’s death
Ketamine
Remifentanil 
Versed

The dosage of each of these drugs have not been released.  Why?

Teen’s death while sedated for dental work ruled accidental

Filed by Cindy Leise April 8th, 2011


ELYRIA — A coroner’s verdict states that 13-year-old dental surgery patient Marissa Kingery died of lack of oxygen to the brain after she was sedated with four drugs.

Marissa “apparently became ill and collapsed” at 8:39 a.m. Dec. 21 following intravenous sedation in the offices of oral surgeon Dr. Henry Mazorow on West 21st Street in Lorain, according to the report from the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office.

Paramedics took her to Mercy Medical Center, where doctors diagnosed respiratory arrest. She was flown to Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, where she was placed on a ventilator, according to the report.

She was given drug treatment and an operation was performed, according to the coroner’s verdict, which stated supportive care was maintained but Marissa failed to respond and was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m. Jan. 3.

The death was ruled accidental due to diffuse hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy — damage to the brain that also occurs in carbon monoxide poisoning and many cases of shaken baby syndrome.

In Mazorow’s office, the drugs propofol — the anesthetic that was listed as a “contributing factor” in pop star Michael Jackson’s death — ketamine, remifentanil and Versed were administered to Marissa in what is commonly known as “twilight sleep” or light sedation.

Attorney Michael Czack, who represents Marissa’s family, did not return phone calls and Marissa’s parents, Amber McEwen and Jason Kingery, also were unavailable for comment.

Marissa’s case is the latest pediatric death being monitored by a foundation founded by the family of 8-year-old Raven Maria Blanco of Chesapeake, Va., who died after being administered sedatives during a dental procedure.

Raven Blanco Foundation’s director of medical emergency preparedness, Dr. Larry Sangrik, said the foundation has tracked 19 pediatric deaths related to dental complications since 1996, including six children who have died since January 2010.

Sangrik, a dentist in Chardon, refused to second guess Mazorow’s decision to administer the four-drug sedation to Marissa, saying, “all the drugs in Marissa’s case are very tightly regulated in the state.” [aren’t all drugs?]

Sangrik has been speaking to the dental community about readiness in dealing with medical emergencies.

“The issue is if you do run into anesthesia complications, then you need to be prepared to address those immediately,” Sangrik said. “Children in particular run out of oxygen very quickly — the volume of air left in their lungs is disproportionately small and is used up very quickly.”

Exactly what was done at Mazorow’s office to revive Marissa is unclear. The coroner’s report does not state whether Mazorow’s staff attempted treatment before paramedics arrived.

Mazorow, who turned 81 in January, did not return phone calls for comment on the coroner’s report. His attorney, Ronald Mingus, declined to talk about the case, except to say his client is no longer administering intravenous anesthesia during dental procedures.

Under Ohio law, Sangrik said, Mazorow was required to have additional training every two years as an oral surgeon with a permit for general anesthesia.

Marissa’s death is under investigation by the Ohio Dental Board, which did not take any action against Mazorow in the 1997 death of 57-year-old Rosemary Johnson of Grafton, who died while having six teeth extracted.

Johnson’s family settled a wrongful death case against Mazorow for $550,000 in 1999, according to court records.

The dental board’s executive director, Lili Reitz, was unavailable for comment, a staff member said.

Meanwhile, Marissa’s death is one of the cases being examined by “Good Morning America” in a report expected to air in the next several weeks, said Raven Blanco’s cousin, Nicole Cunha, executive director of the foundation, which is located in Virginia Beach, Va.

“What we’re finding is most dental offices in America aren’t qualified to handle these medical emergencies,” Cunha said.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

It has been reported that the Ohio Dental Board is investigating but that may be where the problem lies. 

Attorney, Lili Reitz has been director of the Ohio Dental Board for far too many years in my opinion, and has fell asleep on the job.  I have spent hours searching various Laws, Regulations and Act for the state of Ohio and so far, I’ve not found just how the “Executive Director”  becomes Executive Director. 

Reitz has been ED since 1996 after serving as Assistant Attorney General in Ohio.  She graduated from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in November 1990.

It appears you just get appointed as Executive Director by who you know since I’m sure the Dental Board did not post for applicants.  No doubt, having an Attorney as the Executive Director