2-year-old dies after lung collapse during dental procedure under anesthesia
An investigation is underway after a toddler died when his lungs collapsed during a dental procedure involving anesthesia.
The 2-year-old's parents from Salisbury in Wiltshire, England said in an interview with NBC affiliate WXII that their only child had complications during his cavity surgery at Valleygate Dental Surgery Center in Greensboro.
His father David Mitchell noted that he was healthy and "all good" prior to the procedure. "They checked his heart, checked his weight, and checked everything. It was all good until they took him back there," he claimed.
According to Mitchell, they were only informed about it by the nurses when his child was being rushed to the hospital without them.
"We were like, so where’s our son?" he recalled. "He was already gone in the ambulance and we were like, 'Why didn't you tell us?'”
His parents are now seeking answers as to what happened.
"I got so many questions that’s unanswered," Mitchell said, describing his son as "the best child on this planet."
The North Carolina Dental Board, in a statement sent to WXII, said they "are deeply saddened by this tragic news."
They assured the public that they will "fully investigate the circumstances surrounding his death."
"At the moment, we ask you and your viewers to consider that this incident did not occur in a dental office. It appears that Valleygate Dental Surgery Center is an independently accredited surgery center utilizing the services of both medical and dental professionals and is not licensed, certified, or accredited by the NC Dental Board," the board said.
"Early indications are that the Dental Board’s investigation will focus on whether this death occurred as a result of sedation administered by a medical provider (over which the Dental Board has no jurisdiction) or was the result of improper dental treatment which, of course, is within our jurisdiction," they added.
The Valleygate Dental Surgery Center has yet to comment on the matter.