Mom blames anesthetist for son's heart attack at dentist

A Scottish mom has settled out of court in a malpractice case against the Greater Glasgow Health Board that claimed an anesthetist employed by the board caused her son to have a heart attack and subsequent brain damage during a dental procedure in 2002.

Anne Marie Gallacher had been seeking £2.5 million ($4.2 million) in damages over the treatment of her then six-year-old son, Ryan, at Townhead Health Centre in Glasgow, according to a story by the BBC.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

According to court documents, Ryan Gallacher went to the dental clinic to have nine teeth removed. He was given a general anesthetic but part way through the procedure had to be fitted with a breathing tube when one of the teeth being extracted began to fall apart, the BBC reported.

Ryan then developed breathing problems and suffered cardiac arrest. He spent nearly two months in the hospital afterwards, undergoing physiotherapy and speech and occupational therapy.

The anesthetist, Alexander Colquhoun, a consultant at Glasgow Royal Infirmary who is now an associate professor in anesthetics at Virginia Commonwealth University in the U.S., told the court that the incident was “a unique experience.” The health board maintained that Dr. Colquhoun had complied with all duties of reasonable care, according to the BBC.