This is the saddest picture I think I’ve seen in many years and should be the one that comes to mind the next time ANY dentists want to sedate a child. Sadly these deaths are more common than you may think. In 2011 there were 8 that were reported, who knows how many were not.
Court documents say when Dr. Lilly Geyer discovered Finley had gone into cardiac arrest, the doctor ran down the hall to a pediatrician’s office in the building to get him to come and perform CPR.
The AAPD Guidelines recommends vital signs should be monitored and documented at least every five minutes for patients who are sedated. However, as was learned in the dental malpractice case in Syracuse, NY the AAPD guidelines are “options”. Dentists on the stand testified under oath, the AAPD guidelines have little influence in the decisions many dentists make in treatment. (sorry, I tried not to do there)
According to the Boyle’s attorney, Rick Fried, only 3 notations were made as to Finley's vital signs and they went unchecked for 26 minutes after the technician sedated her.
I can only conclude Dr. Geyer and staff as careless idiots.
As promoted by the Raven Marie Blanco Foundation, every dentist office should be prepared to handle a medical emergency and recommends The Six Links of Survival.
However, dentists are fighting this “tooth and nail”. State dental boards are doing little to protect the public and everything to make it easier for dentists to increase their income stream by offering sedation.
Below are several links to various stories, don’t miss out on the comments. As you will see in the comments, the first thing people do is blame the victim or in this case the victim’s parents. What is usually not stressed in the stories is that the child probably did NOT need such extensive treatment, if at all.
A bi-patrician U.S. Senate report published in July 2013 outlines the unnecessary dental treatment being performed on children and the extent of the abuse.
Hawaii 3-year-old dies after dental procedures
By William M. Welch, USA TODAY 6:25 p.m. EST January 4, 2014
A 3-year-old girl who suffered massive brain damage after undergoing dental procedures on multiple teeth last month has died, an attorney for her family said Saturday.
The child's family has filed a malpractice suit against the Kailua, Hawaii, dentist who performed the procedures, and that suit will be amended to include wrongful death, Rick Fried, attorney for the family of Finley Boyle, said in confirming her death.
Finley died at Hospice Hawaii at 8:47 p.m. Friday with her family at her side, hospice President Kenneth Zeri said.
The parents, Ashley and Evan Boyle, filed the lawsuit last week against dentist Lilly Geyer, 36, and unidentified staff members at Island Dentistry for Children. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
Finley Boyle, 3, Dead After Dentist Visit, Parents File Lawsuit
By Carla Herreria Posted: 01/03/2014 9:06 pm EST
UPDATE: Finley Boyle died on Friday evening. A statement on behalf of her family was issued by Hospice Hawaii and read: "It is with heavy hearts that we announce that at 8:47 p.m. last night, Finley Boyle passed away with her family at her side."
A family in Hawaii is suing a dentist after a visit for a root canal procedure left their three-year-old daughter brain dead. According to mother Ashley Boyle, she only has a few days to live.
On Dec. 3, Boyle took her daughter Finley to Island Dentistry in Kailua to undergo four root canals from Dr. Lilly Geyer. Before the procedure took place, Finley was given a highly potent mixture of sedatives, including Demerol, a fast-acting opioid analgesic. Twenty-six minutes later, the young girl went into cardiac arrest.
Finley's parents say that their daughter did not receive immediate CPR.
Hawaii girl, 3, dies after dental procedure
By Khushbu Shah, CNN
updated 12:06 PM EST, Sun January 5, 2014
(CNN) -- Finley Boyle, a 3-year-old Hawaii girl who suffered massive brain damage after undergoing a dental procedure last month, died Friday night, a hospice said Saturday.
The girl died with her family by her side, said Kenneth L. Zeri, president and chief professional officer of Hospice Hawaii.
Finley Boyle, 3, dies: Parents remove feeding tubes after child's disastrous root canal
By Carol Kuruvilla
Saturday, January 4, 2014, 1:37 PM
The 3-year-old Hawaiian girl who was left brain dead after a routine root canal died on Friday night.
After doctors confirmed that Finley Boyle was in a persistent vegetative state, her parents made the tough decision to remove the feeding tubes that were keeping their little girl alive. She died at 8:47 p.m., surrounded by her family members.
“Her parents can’t believe anyone would want to live not knowing they’re alive, going through terrible seizures,” attorney Rick Fried told The News. “They didn’t want to see her going through puberty in diapers.”
