CHENEY, Wash. — A Cheney teen died from complications during a wisdom teeth removal surgery in Spokane Valley.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner's report says his death was likely caused by a reaction to the anesthesia. This week, the teen's family filed medical malpractice and negligence claims against their son's oral surgeon.
Mark and Sara Edge, Erik's parents, claim the dentist split his attention by administering anesthesia while also performing surgery on their son. They now want to save other families from suffering the same loss by bringing awareness to this common practice.
We are not naming the dentist in the lawsuit because he is not being criminal charged or investigated.
The Edge family never imagined a life without their son and brother.
"He was our sunshine," Sara said.
As a reminder of the light Erik once brought into their lives, his parents and brother, Zack, wear a tattoo of his thumbprint on their wrists.
"We can feel our pulse through his print," Sara said. "So, we feel connected still."
A connection that brings some comfort to the Edge family as they're living through the unimaginable. The 17 year old went in for surgery this summer. Erik died unexpectedly from complications during the surgery. The medical examiner's report says Erik died from cardiac arrest, likely caused by a reaction to anesthesia.
"We don't know exactly how he failed," Sara said. "We just know our son died."
The family filed a lawsuit against Erik's oral surgeon looking for answers and to raise awareness.
"We want to know what happened and make corrections to whatever that was, so no other family in Spokane or anywhere has to go through this type of grief and loss ever again," Mark said.
The lawsuit claims, during Erik's surgery, the oral surgeon acted as both anesthesia provider and oral surgeon. It says the oral surgeon "failed to recognize and respond in a timely and proper manner, resulting in injuries that caused Erik's death."
His parents said they didn't know the oral surgeon acting in both roles.
"I was shocked that this could happen, that it would be possible that this could happen." Sara said. "We thought that there was an anesthesia provider there."
Mark, Sara and Zack believe if someone other than Erik's dentist had been his anesthesiologist the outcome of that surgery would have been different.
The Washington Department of Health requires a permit to administer all levels of sedation and general anesthesia. Department of Health records show Erik's oral surgeon is a licensed dentist and has a dentist general anesthesia permit.
Based on these records, the dentist was acting in accordance with medical guidelines.
But we found the American Dental Association requires at least one person present for patient monitoring, in addition to the dentist, at any each level of sedation. The policy says that additional people must be trained in basic life support for health care providers.
We don't know what happened leading up to Erik's death. That's what the Edge family hopes the lawsuit will uncover.
I reached out to the dentist's attorney, Stephen Lamberson, who said his client is not speaking with the media. Instead, Lamberson shared a statement on behalf of his client. We've redacted the dentist's name because he is not being criminal charged or investigated at this time.
"Mr. Edge was (his client's) patient and Erik's death was unfortunate and unforeseen. He and his staff have been deeply impacted, but (his client) followed safety protocol and met standard of care. His client is prepared to respond to the lawsuit and defend his care."
Still, the Edge's attorney George Ahrend with the Luvera Law Firm believes Erik's reaction to the anesthesia is common and preventable.
"Any anesthesiologist who didn't know how to respond appropriately to this kind of complication would have a long trail of bodies behind them in their career," Ahrend said. "It's something that is easily responded to. Should have been no adverse effects at all."
The American Dental Association, or ADA, offers a list of questions parents can ask their dentist about sedation and general anesthesia for their child.
They include:
- How will my child be monitored before, during and after the procedure until the child is released to go home?
- Are the appropriate emergency medications and equipment immediately available if needed, and does the office have a written emergency response plan?
- What training and experience does the person providing the sedation or anesthesia for the procedure have?
- Do assisting staff have emergency training? Do they renew their training regularly?
- Does the dentist have all the permits or licenses required by the state dental board to provide the planned level of anesthesia or sedation?
In the meantime, through their lawsuit, the Edge family hopes to find their own answers.
"I'm still in shock, just like our whole family," Mark said. "It's an incredible loss that didn't have to happen."
They admit, navigating a life without their sunshine hasn't been easy. But they'll hold close the memories Erik left them.
"Our bond is unbreakable," Zack, Erik's brother, said. "I still feel connected to him."
We do want to mention KREM 2 knows the Edge Family because of their long-time involvement with Tom's Turkey Drive. Erik and his family have made yearly donations to the cause since the two boys were very young. This connection to the Edge family is partly why we're sharing their story.