Probe into citizen’s ingestion of tooth extraction tool in Madinah
A young Saudi man had a miraculous escape after accidental intraoperative ingestion of an endodontic nerve-puller that was later located inside his windpipe. The 22-year-old citizen had undergone successful endoscopic extraction of the device, Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learnt.
The Health Department in Madinah started a probe into the medical error allegedly caused by a dentist in a private clinic in Madinah. Muayyad Abu Anaq, spokesman of the department, said that the department has taken measures following the filing of the complaint by the affected citizen.
The victim’s testimony has been recorded and a travel ban was imposed on the dentist and others who are suspected to be committed the medical error until the completion of the investigations and referring the case to the legitimate health authority.
Speaking to Okaz/Sauri Gazette, Abdul Hamid Bukhari, father of the young man, said that his son Moataz visited a dental clinic to treat a tooth disease and during the extraction of the nerve, the tool slipped off from the doctor’s grip and fell it into his throat. The doctor tried to take it out but in vain.
Bukhari alleged that the doctor did not make any intervention to rescue his son or refer him to a hospital. “The doctor was not serious in taking urgent measures to save him but rather coldly handled the case, claiming that the tool would come out when vomiting,” he said while noting that his son had to leave the clinic due to the doctor’s attitude.
Bukhari said his son Moataz suffered from severe pain in his stomach and subsequently he was taken to Uhud Hospital by his brother. It was found in an x-ray that the nerve-puller device was inside the trachea, his father said. The young man was hospitalized and subjected to an endoscopic extraction of the device.
The young man’s father said that the dental clinic, which is involved in the medical error, contacted him to settle the issue. “Three days after the incident, they contacted me seeking a settlement of the issue, claiming that the matter is simple and that such incidents always happen in dental clinics,” he pointed out.
Bukhari said that he rejected all their attempts for a settlement, upholding the right of his son to hold the doctor and the clinic accountable for their gross medical negligence and failure to rise to the occasion to deal with the case as the gravity of the situation warranted.