A 9-year-old dies hours after dental surgery. The cause of death is under investigation
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- The girl underwent dental surgery and was unresponsive hours later at her home.
- The dentist who oversaw her anesthesiology had been disciplined years earlier.
Hours after undergoing dental surgery, a 9-year-old girl from San Diego was found unresponsive in her home, according to officials who are investigating her death.
The dentist who performed her anesthesiology had been disciplined by the state for a 2016 incident in which he was accused of “excessively” administering drugs or treatment accidentally to a 54-year-old man whose heart stopped briefly during a dental procedure.
On March 18, Silvanna Moreno was placed under anesthesia for a dental surgery at Dreamtime Dentistry, a facility that is described in its website as striving “to be the premier office for sedation dentistry in Vista, CA.”
In a statement, Dreamtime Dentistry said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our young patient, which occurred several hours after her completed dental procedure.”
“The patient was referred to our office for dental treatment under general anesthesia due to her young age and acute situational anxiety,” according to the statement.
During the surgical procedure, Dr. Ryan Watkins, a licensed dentist who is trained and credentialed in anesthesiology, observed Silvanna and noted no complications, the dental office stated.
After the procedure, she was discharged into the care of her mother and sent home, according to the County of San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office.
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“Following the procedure, she was discharged in stable condition — awake, with stable vital signs and protective reflexes intact — into her mother’s care, following our standard post-anesthesia protocols,” according to the statement.
Silvanna fell asleep on the car ride home, and when she arrived home she stayed asleep and was transitioned into her bed, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Her family checked on her throughout the day and called 911 when it was discovered later that she was unresponsive.
Paramedics transported the child to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego while providing lifesaving measures during transport.
When Silvanna arrived at the hospital, medical staff assumed the lifesaving measures to no avail, and she was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner.
The San Diego Police Department’s child abuse unit is investigating the girl’s death because the unit investigates deaths when the victim is 17 or younger, said Abbey Madison, a Police Department spokesperson.
A verified GoFundMe account created to help pay for funeral expenses described the Sherman Elementary School third-grader as “the sunshine in every room she entered, always greeting staff and classmates with a big smile and an even bigger hug.”
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Silvanna is survived by her parents, Itzel de Jesus and Roberto Moreno, and three siblings.
Watkins, the dental anesthesiologist, has more than 20 years of experience administering general anesthesia to children and owns Dreamtime Dentistry, according to the news release.
But in 2020, Watkins was placed on disciplinary probation for 35 months after a 54-year-old patient’s heart stopped beating while under anesthesia, four years prior, according to the Dental Board of California.
According to the filed complaint, Watkins had administered anesthesia to the patient, a triathlete whom he considered to be in excellent health, and who had the appropriate vital signs on the day of surgery.
Once the surgery began, the patient’s vital signs declined; his heart rate and blood pressure dropped. Watkins administered medication to treat hypertension and another to restore fluid and electrolyte balance. That patient’s heart rate rose until it stopped, according to the complaint.
First responders were called and transported the patient to a local hospital, where upon arrival he “was able to respond non-verbally by opening his eyes in response to voice.”
The patient was discharged from the hospital two days after admission, and doctors stated the cause for his medical visit was “cardiac arrest” and reported “discharge diagnoses of ‘poisoning by other drug primarily affecting the autonomic nervous system, accidental, initial encounter,’” according to the complaint.
Watkins agreed to the suspension under a stipulated settlement with the state’s dental board.
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