Oct 2 2006
Following the death of a 5-year-old patient, a dentist in Chicago has had his license to practice suspended by State regulators.
Diamond Brownridge lapsed into a coma and later died following two injections of diazepam within five minutes, followed by oral Valium, lidocaine, several other medications and nitrous oxide, at Little Angel Dental.
Diamond was having fillings and caps on some of her teeth.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has said that dentist Dr. Hicham Riba failed to properly monitor Diamond's blood pressure, pulse and respiration during her treatment Sept. 23 at his clinic and posed an "imminent danger to the public".
It appears that Riba recorded that Diamond was "alert and responsive" on discharge, although her mother claims to have found her comatose in the dental chair.
She died at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago after being on life support for four days after her visit to the dentist.
Dr. Riba, aged 40, now faces up to $10,000 in fines for each of four violations, which include making false or fraudulent representations, professional incompetence and gross malpractice.
The regulators have not commented whether the combination or the dosages were appropriate for the 35-pound girl.