Dentist reprimanded after patient's death

The State of Washington Department of Health Dental Quality Assurance Commission recently indefinitely suspended the sedation permit of a dentist after a patient reportedly died while undergoing tooth extractions before a scheduled heart valve surgery.

Dr. Thi D. Nguyen, the owner of Gravelly Lake Dentistry in Lakewood, WA, had his permit suspended. Nguyen can petition the commission to have it reinstated; however, if the permit is reinstated, Nguyen would be required to comply with conditions, fines, and he would be subjected to unannounced audits, according to a commission order signed on July 29.

In November 2023, Nguyen had his license and sedation permit suspended pending further legal action for allegedly engaging in unsafe practices related to the care of a medically fragile patient. Though Nguyen can no longer sedate patients, he can continue to provide dental care to patients because his dental license is no longer suspended, according to the order.

In June 2022, a patient with a significant medical history who was taking several prescription medications went to Nguyen to undergo multiple tooth extractions under moderate sedation prior to heart valve surgery. The patient had hypertensive cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, valvular heart disease, pulmonary emphysema, chronic disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Prior to the procedure, the dentist received medical clearance from the patient's primary care provider -- a physician's assistant -- but Nguyen reportedly failed to consult with any of his physicians.

On the day of the procedure, the patient was given articaine, lidocaine, triazolam, midazolam, cefazolin, and decadron. About five minutes into the procedure, the patient's vital signs dropped. The dentist allegedly failed to monitor his vital signs at appropriate levels required by law and then reportedly failed to administer the proper dose of medication needed to reverse the sedatives he was given.

Eventually, emergency medical services were called. Resuscitation was attempted for 40 minutes, but the patient couldn't be saved.