Doctor blames nurse for child’s overdose after dental procedure

In December 2009, a 22-month-old boy died from complications after a dental procedure. When the dental procedure was performed, everything seemed to be going well. But hours after the child was sent home, he suddenly stopped breathing. The child was put on life support, but when two weeks passed without any brain activity, the child was taken off of life support and he died.

When a child’s life is suddenly taken away like this, Illinois parents deserve to know what happened. Parents also deserve to seek justice when they believe that a child’s life was harmed as a result of medical malpractice.

Currently, the toddler’s parents are seeking justice by pursing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the anesthesiologist who had authorized a nurse to give the child morphine after his dental procedure. When the trial is over, the parents hope that the doctor will be held accountable for their child’s fatal injuries.

After the child’s death, the anesthesiologist claimed that he did not know what could have caused the toddler to suddenly stop breathing after he was sent home. Medical experts later concluded that the child had been given a fatal dose of morphine. Because the anesthesiologist had ordered a nurse to give the child two doses of morphine, the child’s parents believe that the doctor should be held accountable for the fatal medication error.

The doctor testified at the trial earlier this week, telling a jury that he was not responsible for the child’s death. Instead, he is attempting to the blame the death on the nurse who had administered the fatal doses of morphine. The doctor says that the nurse must have administered the morphine incorrectly or given the child the wrong amount of morphine. The nurse claims that she had correctly followed the doctor’s instructions when he told her to give the child two doses of morphine.

Hopefully the child’s parents will have their case resolved soon so that they can finally get the closure they need to try and move on with their lives.

Source: San Antonio Express-News, “Toddler’s death still puzzles doctor,” Craig Kapitan, Sept. 24, 2012

  • Our firm represents clients in medical malpractice and negligence matters. To learn more about our firm and practice, please visit our Will County medical malpractice page.

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