Brandy Miller still hears herself shouting “Pray, pray now” as her husband suddenly stopped breathing during what was supposed to be a routine tooth extraction. The August 2023 procedure at the Visage Surgical Institute in Medina left 48-year-old Matthew Miller on life support, and he died four days later in the hospital. This week, his widow took that memory into a formal setting as regulators and lawyers pushed ahead with their investigation.
According to Cleveland 19, Miller and her son were waiting in the clinic while oral surgeon Dr. Faisal Quereshy administered anesthesia. She says her husband “stopped breathing” shortly after the drugs were given. The medical examiner determined that his breathing stopped because of medications he received while sedated, and his widow filed a wrongful-death lawsuit that has now moved into the discovery phase.
Hearing Examiner Recommends Temporary Suspension
In a report filed last month, a hearing examiner recommended suspending Quereshy’s license to administer anesthesia for six months to a year after finding persuasive evidence that he failed to adequately evaluate and monitor Miller before and during sedation, according to WDBJ7. The examiner cited concerns that Miller’s weight and other risk factors raised his danger under general anesthesia and questioned whether reversal agents were administered in time when he “desaturated” and his oxygen levels dropped.
Family Seeks Accountability
Miller told Cleveland 19 she is not ready to forgive, especially after watching Quereshy’s deposition, where he stated he “would not change anything” about how he handled the procedure. “With everything that we’ve found, everything that the dental board has found, he should not be practicing,” she said.
How Sedation Is Supposed To Be Handled
Nationally, the American Dental Association advises that dentists carefully screen and monitor patients before and during sedation. That guidance calls for documenting an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical-status score, reviewing medical history and consulting a physician when needed, and ensuring continuous monitoring and readiness to rescue a sedated patient. Those precautions are especially critical for patients with obesity, who can face elevated anesthesia risks. The goal is to reduce the rare but catastrophic possibility that a patient will stop breathing under sedation. More details are available from the American Dental Association.
Legal And Regulatory Next Steps…