Officials have revealed the cause of death for a 9-year-old girl who died at the dentist, according to PEOPLE. Silvanna Moreno passed away after surgery at Dreamtime Dentistry on March 18 in San Diego, California.
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The third grader’s cause of death was ruled as methemoglobinemia in the setting of recent nitrous oxide administration. This can happen if someone’s hemoglobin obtains an excessive amount of nitrous oxide. During Silvanna’s dental procedure, she received anesthesia, per the autopsy report.
9-Year-Old’s Cause Of Death At Dentist Revealed
The young girl visited Dreamtime Dentistry after she complained about persistent tooth pain in October. According to NBC News, Silvanna was a new patient who required a root canal on her molar.
The report also mentioned that the day before surgery, Silvanna took children’s Tylenol to treat a fever. Even before the three-hour procedure, Silvanna complained about having a headache, but she didn’t appear distressed. Dentists then administered anesthesia around 10 AM and began the surgery.
During the surgery, the doctors completed the root canal and placed a crown on her tooth. They also extracted some decayed “baby teeth” and some decayed adult teeth. One of the adult teeth needed a crown as well.
After the surgery, they waited for her to wake up, and they let her rest in a recovery room. Silvanna was reportedly drowsy and “out of it” on the way home. She was previously able to stand up, but now she was heavily snoring.
Upon arriving home, she was asleep for around 90 minutes, snoring loudly. Soon after, her snoring slowed and got quieter. The girl’s grandmother checked her heart rate twice, and by the second reading, she was unresponsive. She called 911 at 4:46 PM, and as first responders were heading over, the dispatcher told the grandmother to try CPR.
They transferred Silvanna to Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. Upon arrival, she was in asystole. This condition is when the heart’s electrical system fails, so the heart stops pumping, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Doctors were unable to resuscitate Silvanna, and they pronounced her dead at 5:44 PM. This is a shocking case, even from a doctor’s point of view. Dr. Ryan Watkins gave a statement to PEOPLE and noted how rare a condition methemoglobinemia is.
The doctor recalled that Silvanna “never exhibited” warning signs of this condition during the procedure. Normally, when patients experience this, their “pulse oximetry readings will show abnormally low levels in the 80s.” Silvanna didn’t experience this during the three-hour procedure, and she appeared normal during recovery.
Dreamtime Dentistry revealed that they were conducting a “thorough internal review,” even though it was an accidental death. “We are committed to learning from this tragic event and will implement any additional safety measures that may help prevent such occurrences in the future,” said Watkins.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Silvanna’s family and ask for continued respect for their privacy during this time of grief.”
Remembering Silvanna Moreno
Silvanna’s family launched a GoFundMe that has overshot its $10,000 goal, earning over $19,000. They described the third grader who went to Sherman Elementary School as “bright and loving.”
“She was the sunshine in every room she entered,” they wrote. “Always greeting staff and classmates with a big smile and an even bigger hug. Her friends describe her as kind, caring, and always happy, a true friend to everyone she met.”
Silvanna is survived by her brother Roberto, who she was an “amazing big sister” to, he rmother, father, her two other siblings, and more extended family. The family described the pain of losing Silvanna as “immeasurable,” as she was a “bright and joyful soul.”
“Thank you for keeping Silvanna and her family in your thoughts and prayers,” they concluded. “Your generosity means the world during this incredibly difficult time.”