The parents of a 2-year-old Texas boy who died after a dental procedure are suing the anesthesiologist and the surgical center where the procedure was performed, claiming the boy received too much morphine in doses administered too close together.
In December of 2009, 22-month-old Maddoux Cordova went to the Village Specialty Surgical Center in San Antonio to have several crowns placed on his teeth. The boy lost oxygen to his brain shortly after the procedure and was brain-dead for two weeks before his mother decided to take him off life support.
In a civil trial taking place now, medical experts have agreed that Brian Seastrunk, MD, administered too much morphine after the child's surgery, according to an article on MySanAntonio.com.
Dr. Seastrunk admitted during the trial that the experts are probably correct in their assessment that the child was overdosed, the article noted. However, he said it was likely a result of the hospital's nurse accidentally giving the child more morphine than he called for, or that the doses were administered too close together, and he was ultimately not responsible for the outcome.
Cynthia Jones, the nurse who administered the morphine, denied culpability for the child's death. The doses were given to Cordova less than 10 minutes apart, insufficient time for the first to take effect, the family's attorneys said.
The family is seeking to recover the cost of the child's funeral, his hospitalization, and compensation for pain and suffering after having lost their son, another article explained.
