Family sues dentist after sedated Woodstock man dies after tooth extraction

The family of a 57-year-old Woodstock man is suing a Rockford dentist who they say improperly sedated a “high-risk” patient, causing him to die after a tooth extraction.

On April 7, Lyle Schmidt went to the office of Dr. Kurtis E. Wirth to have several teeth pulled, according to the wrongful death lawsuit that Schmidt’s family filed Tuesday in Winnebago County. After receiving intravenous sedation for the procedure, Schmidt went into cardiac arrest and died, according to the lawsuit. The man’s family now is seeking more than $50,000 in money damages for allegations of medical malpractice.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Wirth declined to comment on the lawsuit.

In dentistry, death following general anesthesia is rare and mostly seen in patients with compromised health conditions, according to a June 2017 report published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research.

Throughout the lawsuit, attorneys with the Waukegan-based law firm Alvi, Schostok and Pritchard referred to Schmidt as a “high-risk patient” and cited a medical history that included respiratory failure and distress, pulmonary disease, sleep apnea and several conditions that affected Schmidt’s heart.

On the day of the appointment, Schmidt also had taken medications used to treat seizures, tremors, depression, as well as pain and muscle spasms, according to the lawsuit.

With “proper precautions,” Schmidt would still be alive today, said John Mennie, one of the family’s attorneys.

“Dr. Wirth’s website boasts that he is one of the few practicing dentists in the state of Illinois licensed to provide intravenous (IV) sedation, yet he failed to adequately assess the risk for an office based anesthetic and formulate an appropriate intra-operative anesthetic plan,” Mennie said in an official statement.

The two-count civil complaint accuses Wirth of using “deep sedation” without the proper license.

According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website, Wirth had active dental sedation and dentist controlled substance licenses as of Tuesday.

The law firm that filed the suit, however, alleges that Wirth only was licensed to perform a type of sedation during which patients still are conscious.

Wirth also is accused of improperly administering IV anesthetic in an office setting for a high-risk patient and failing to properly monitor the sedation and protect Schmidt’s airway, among other allegations.

As part of the procedure, Wirth administered IV sedation to Schmidt, who about 20 to 30 minutes into the surgery indicated that he needed to use the restroom, according to the lawsuit.

“Dr. Wirth administered Flumazenil and Naloxone after Lyle Schmidt indicated that he wanted to go the bathroom,” Mennie wrote in the lawsuit.

Flumazenil is used to treat benzodiazepine overdoses or reverse the effects of sedation, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Naloxone can similarly rapidly reduce an opioid overdose.

Shortly after Wirth administered the additional doses of Flumazenil and Naloxone, Schmidt stopped breathing, fell backward and went into cardiac arrest, according to the lawsuit.

He was taken to Saint Anthony Medical Center, where he died on April 10.

Schmidt is survived by two brothers and his partner of more than 20 years. The family was not immediately available to comment.