Medicaid agency investigates boy’s death

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The Virginia Medicaid agency is investigating the death of a six year old boy, following an incident on Tuesday.

Jacobi Hill had been admitted to the Virginia Commonwealth University Dental Facility for a procedure to fit caps on his teeth; he went into cardiac arrest shortly after the treatment was completed and died minutes after. An autopsy was carried out yesterday but the cause of death may not be determined for weeks.

Jacobi suffered from asthma but had been examined and cleared to have the operation by a paediatrician on Monday. He was given anaesthesia prior to the appointment but it is not yet known why he went into cardiac arrest and later died.

Sedation is extremely common now, especially amongst younger patients as they struggle to keep still without it and it can make them feel more relaxed about the procedure; however, many incidents involving sedation have recently emerged in the national media, prompting concerns about the safety of sedatives when used with children. Dentists and paediatricians insist that sedation is a safe process, with thousands of procedures carried out under sedative each day across America.

Dr Robert Campbell, a paediatric oral surgeon from the Virginia Dental and Anaesthesia Associates, said that complications can occur as a result of sedation, but they are very rare. Dr Campbell said sedation was sometimes essential because a child moving during a procedure could have very serious consequences. According to Campbell, problems result from the vocal cords going into spasm but it is not known whether this was the cause of Jacobi Hill’s death.

Medicaid is now investigating this case as they paid for Jacobi’s care. An internal investigation will also be carried out by the Virginia Commonwealth University Dental Facility.

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