Toddler dies during a dental procedure after staff member hooked him up to an empty oxygen tank
A devastated family has alleged that their two-year-old toddler was hooked up to an empty or dysfunctional oxygen tank after a dental procedure and that hospital staff repeatedly muted an alarm used to monitor his pulse, thereby resulting in his death.
According to reports, Zion Gastelum lost his life on December 16, 2017, just four days after a visit to Kool Smiles dental clinic in Yuma, Arizona.
Nonetheless, Zion's family has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Kool Smiles, its staff and associates hired for the surgery on the toddler.
As dentists said the boy needed crowns to fix severe cavities in his teeth, his mother Veronica brought him to Kool Smiles for treatment last December. Upon arrival, little Zion was placed under anesthesia by a Phoenix-based anesthesiologist, under a contract with the clinic, Daily Mail reports.
According to a police report obtained by ABC 15, officers were told by the dentist that the procedure was successful and that it lasted for around 35 minutes.