VANCOUVER, Wash. (WHDH) — An anesthesiologist has been charged with incompetence after a 4-year-old boy died following a “routine” dental procedure.
Thmeka Curry brought her young son, Mykel Peterson, to Must Love Kids Pediatric Dentistry in March of 2017 so the little boy could get crowns on his teeth.
Curry said the anesthesiologist, Chester Hu, decided to put the Mykel under anesthesia since he had been “squirmy” during previous visits, KOIN reports, giving the boy a shot rather than the gas.
Curry said the procedure went normally, but she became worried when Mykel wouldn’t wake up in the recovery room. She told KATUthat she asked if anything had gone wrong, and the anesthesiologist told her it might take a little longer for her son to wake up.
“He was just saying how he gave him just a little extra dosage to make sure he didn’t wake up through the procedure,” Curry said Hu told her.
That’s when the 4 year old stopped breathing. Dental staff started CPR and called 911, and paramedics rushed Mykel to the hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy later found that the boy died of multiple drug intoxication from anesthesia, according to The Columbian.
Washington’s Medical Quality Assurance Commission accused Hu of “incompetence, negligence or malpractice”, which means Hu could face disciplinary action or possible sanctions in the matter, according to KOIN.
The Washington State Medical Commission charged Hu with unprofessional conduct, saying, “Hu’s failure to meet the standard of care put the patient at grievous risk of harm and contributed to his death.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to help raise money for the little boy’s family.
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