A family was stunned when their daughter, sister and mother died in the parking lot after a dentist visit. This story comes after another tragic story where a young girl suffered brain damage shortly after a dentist visit.
But how can this happen?
April Walters had a number of health issues before going to the dentist. She suffered from sarcoidosis, asthma, COPD high blood pressure, diabetes and she was on oxygen. Although Walters, 46, had those conditions, she still had been cleared by her doctor to have her teeth pulled–a total of 18 teeth–because of an infection.
Her sister, Crystal Cutright, took her to Dr. Rana Rabban at Southfield Dental Care in Michigan. When the medical assistant took her vital signs, she seemed to be concerned about the new patient’s health.
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“Her heart rate was still 130, the dentist came in, ready to do the procedure,” her daughter, April Waddell said. “The dental assistant said ‘I am waiting for her heart rate to come down.’ The dentist said ‘We’re fine’ and the procedure starts.”
After 16 of 18 teeth had been pulled, the dentist told her they would stop for the day.
“She was talking to April she said ‘I think you need to go to the doctor and get your heart checked on,’” Waddell said. The dentist left to attend to another patient but came back shortly after.
“Maybe five or 10 minutes later and was like, ‘Yeah ma’am when you leave here you should probably take her to the doctor and get that checked out, her heart rate’s kind of high.’”
Crystal then tried to get her sister and her oxygen tanks to the car. Her husband James helped get April into the backseat, but then April complained of not being able to breathe.
Crystal thought the oxygen tanks had run out and she ran back inside for help. She says the staff came out with more oxygen, but nobody seemed to know CPR.
“They didn’t do no CPR or anything,” Waddell said. “They were just rubbing her chest.”
It is noted that someone who does not know CPR could be doing more damage than good if trying to administer it on someone in need.
“When the dentist came out she started yelling ‘I told you to take her to the hospital’ so I yelled back at her ‘I have to get her in the car in order for that to happen.’”
Instead, an ambulance was called but April could not be saved. Now the family just wants to know what happened that caused these events. The results of an autopsy are pending.
“A 46-year-old woman should not die in the parking lot of a dentist’s office,” Waddell said.
“We feel deeply for what happened,” said Caroline Oldsey, who works at the dentist office’s human resources office. “Our…
