Ireland: man died in dentist’s chair just minutes after receiving tooth extraction
Shrike
Man died of natural causes at dentist’s
By: Suzanne Pender
http://www.carlow-nationalist.ie/news/story.asp?j=28368
A 48-YEAR-OLD Carlow man who died in a dentist’s chair just
minutes after receiving a tooth extraction passed away as a
result of “natural causes” due to a heart attack, County Carlow
Coroner’s Court concluded yesterday.
John Pender, Ducketts-grove Carlow died in the surgery of Dr Jim
Madden, Tullow Street on December 5, 2005 just minutes after Dr
Madden had completed surgery to remove a tooth.
The jury of six concluded in accordance with the medical evidence
given by assistant pathologist at Waterford Regional Hospital Dr
Morris Murphy that Mr Pender had died due to “some underlying
heart disease”.
The coroner’s court heard depositions and evidence from Dr Sandra
Keogh who was called to Dr Madden’s surgery to attend Mr Pender,
Mairéad Kavanagh, dental nurse, at Mr Madden’s surgery, Dr Madden
and Mr Pender’s widow, Mercedes Pender McCarthy.
The court heard that Mr Pender had been administered sedation and
a local anaesthetic prior to the procedure and when the tooth was
extracted Mr Pender reached out and grabbed Dr Madden’s arm and
“turned blue and was sweating profusely”.
The court heard how Dr Madden performed CPR on Mr Pender while Ms
Kavanagh, dental nurse, immediately sought medical assistance.
The court was told that when Dr Sandra Keogh arrived in Dr
Madden’s surgery she lent assistance and for approximately 20
minutes they performed CPR on Mr Pender first while he sat in the
dentist’s chair and then removed him to the floor.
The court heard how Mr Pender’s wife, Mercedes, was in the
waiting room at the time and Dr Keogh went out to deliver the
tragic news.
Frank Lanigan, solicitor representing the Pender family,
questioned how a “healthy man goes in to receive what is
described as a normal treatment and dies”.
The pathologist stated that in the general public the vast
majority of people suffering from coronary heart disease “may be
walking around not knowing they have it”.
“It comes as a great surprise to the people around them when they
then drop down dead,” he stated.
Dr Murray also confirmed that toxicology reports indicated the
drugs administered to Mr Pender as part of his dental treatment
were within normal levels.
“Death was due to some underlying heart disease, there are no
under indication that would have given cause for death,” he stated.
County Coroner Dr Brendan Doyle said the level of detail
contained in the postmortem was quite satisfactory as far as he
was concerned.