An elderly man from Illinois, Hoffman Estates who had undergone a Root canal procedure back in 2014 in Des Plaines has sued the dentist for leaving behind a Dental File which had slipped down his throat into his stomach. The patient Kanusz Pawlowicz, said, “(I saw her) looking around me, looking at my clothes, on the floor. She said that she lost a small piece of metal.”
He mentioned that the dentist told him probably it fell on the floor somewhere so he did not worry or think about it later.
Note: One thing I do not understand is, how could a file slip down his throat and he have no sensation of it.
According to Pawlowicz, he began suffering from severe abdominal pain a couple of days later. With a visit to the ER and an abdominal X-ray revealed the presence of a dental file in his stomach which required emergency surgery to remove it. It is being mentioned that the Dentist has dropped the file down his throat by accident which has lead to many complications.
Pawlowicz has suffered from complications after surgery including small bowel obstruction which has caused a great deal of pain. It is said that he has spent a month in the hospital because of the complications which have been caused due to the file being lodged in his stomach. After a year or so of legal battle against the dentist a $675,000 settlement was finalized.
It is not mentioned whether the Dentist has used a Rubber Dam or not and if it was used how could the file have crossed the dam and entered the patient throat without the patient knowing anything about it when he was fully conscious. This clearly shows the importance of Rubber Dam use in a Root canal procedure and how it can prevent complications such as this. The Dentist has not been disciplined by the state for the incident which has occurred.
Source: wgntv.com
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