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Deadly tooth surgery Young patient took up to five ibuprofen daily
The case of 18-year-old Dominik A. from Hamburg is currently going through all the media. The young man died after several hours of root canal treatment under general anesthesia. The preliminary autopsy result revealed heart failure as a cause of death due to a previous illness as well as the burden of the long-lasting procedure. But now the mother of the deceased has spoken up and reported that her son took several painkillers a day because of his dental phobia.
General anesthesia due to panic anxiety
Tragic end of a dental treatment: The 18-year-old Dominik A. died a few days ago after several hours of dental surgery in a Hamburg practice. Since the young man was terrified of the procedure, the root canal treatment with several fillings had been performed under general anesthesia. After the OP had apparently begun in the morning, apparently on schedule and without any problems, complications occurred in the late afternoon, the treating dentist told the "Hamburger Morgenpost". After rescue measures and resuscitation attempts in practice, the patient had been taken to a hospital in Hamburg-Altona, where finally death was determined.
A young man from Hamburg died late last week after a dental surgery. Now it became known that the 18-year-old had taken previously daily larger amounts of painkillers. (Image: bananna / fotolia.com) Up to five tablets a day
The autopsy showed as a preliminary result that the death had probably occurred as a result of heart failure caused by cardiac disease and the burden of the long operation. But now the mother of the deceased explained that her son had apparently consumed larger amounts of painkillers in advance. As Anna A. reported in an interview with the "Hamburger Morgenpost", Dominik suffered from a strong phobia of the dentist and therefore tried to avoid visiting the dentist by taking medication. According to the 18-year-old regularly ibuprofen and acetaminophen have taken, sometimes even up to five tablets a day, the mother told the newspaper. The panic fear of the dentist had been so pronounced in her boy that he had not visited a dentist for years.
No medical check up before the operation
Accordingly, the heart failure during the surgery may also be related to the increased drug use. Because the use of analgesics may increase the risk of heart disease, especially ibuprofen, diclofenac and coxibs are considered as risk factors. The active ingredient diclofenac may be e.g. harming the heart if taken for an extended period of time in an amount of 150 milligrams per day, the European Medicines Regulatory Authority (PRAC) warns. Therefore, if high doses or a longer period of use are prescribed, patients should consult with their doctor.
According to the mother, the use of Dominik's drug had been documented in advance of the procedure, but a medical review had apparently not found. The prosecutor Hamburg now investigates for negligent homicide against the treating anesthetist. (No)