Kristen Tavares, mother of two, felt unconscious while undergoing a routine dental procedure, eventually leading to a coma.
The incident occurred in Hilo, Hawaii when the 23-year-old went to the dentist to have her four wisdom teeth removed. She suffered cardiac arrest and the CT scan indicated that her brain swelled.
Tavares had given birth to her second child just three months ago and was healthy and fit, without any medical conditions.
Tavares was soon admitted into the Maui Medical Center after the dental procedure, since she did not not regain consiousness. The doctors are planning on a series of tests in an attempt to recover her from coma. Physicians claim her heart is too weak to carry out any medical procedures at the moment.
It's not clear as to what made the young lady suffer a cardiac arrest. According to a medical specialist, there is a possibility that the woman's airway might have got blocked by a foreign body. Daniel Orr, an oral surgery and anesthesiology specialist, stated that an unknown body, such as a tooth or a piece of gauze, might have caused the accident.
"It's really hard especially for her family and just having our three-month-old son and to be put in this situation is really hard. It's very strenuous and stressful for everyone." Wave-TV quoted Tavares' boyfriend Chauncey Prudencio as saying.
It is understood that Dr. John Stover performed the procedure at his dentist's office in Hilo. Stover holds a license, however, the court documents state that he was earlier sued for medical malpractices but was later dismissed, according to Fox 8.
Deaths and severe problems while undergoing dental treatments are rare. Only once in 365,000 cases does a patient suffer from brain injury or die, while having dental procedures with anesthesia, explained the American Association for Oral Surgeons.
