Suit filed in healthy teen's 3rd-molar surgery death

The parents of a healthy 17-year-old who died following anesthesia-related complications during a third-molar extraction procedure filed a lawsuit on December 9 against the oral surgeon and his Washington practice.

Sara and Mark Edge, the parents of Erik Edge who died in June, filed a suit claiming medical malpractice and negligence against oral surgeon Dr. Bryan McLelland and Liberty Oral & Facial Surgery in Spokane Valley, WA, according to a press release dated December 9 from the firm representing the family, the Luvera Law Firm in Seattle.

"With almost all surgeries, it is standard practice for anesthesia to be administered by someone devoting their full attention to the patient," George Ahrend, one of the family’s attorneys, said in the release. "When a surgeon splits their jobs to double their profits, it opens the door to unnecessary risks that lead to tragic losses like Erik's death."

During a tooth extraction surgery, McLelland allegedly acted as the anesthesiologist and didn't notice for several minutes that the 17-year-old's airway had closed, which can be a common complication of anesthesia. Additionally, McLelland and his staff reportedly weren't prepared to provide Erik lifesaving care and failed to respond properly, according to the release.

The lawsuit claims that McLelland was performing double duty to bill and collect higher fees for performing anesthesia and oral surgery services. Also, he allegedly didn't tell the patient's parents that there was no backup at the practice to handle complications if problems arose during the procedure, according to the law firm release.

Erik’s parents hope the lawsuit will raise awareness about the safety problems that can arise during these procedures.

"Parents need to be aware that this could happen to their child," Sara Edge said in the release. "More people talking about this and spreading awareness will be the catalyst for change."