Hyderabad man dies during 'smile designing' surgery. What went wrong?

A smile-designing procedure ahead of his wedding turned fatal for a 28-year-old man at a clinic in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills on 16 February.

The police have booked FMS International Dental Clinic in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after Laxmi Narayana Vinjam’s family lodged a complaint.

The victim’s father has alleged that he died of an anaesthesia overdose.

Here’s what happened and how anaesthesia can be dangerous.

The case

As part of the procedure to improve his smile Laxmi Narayana was put under anaesthesia, which left him unconscious.

However, he regained consciousness and was declared dead when he arrived at Apollo Hospitals.

Ramulu Vinjam, the victim’s father, claimed that his son’s death was caused by an anaesthetic overdose.

He said that the staff called him and asked him to come to his clinic after his son passed out during the procedure.

“We rushed him to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival,” he said, emphasising that his son had not disclosed the surgery to them and was in good health prior.

“The doctors are responsible for his death,” the father said.

According to NDTV, K Venkateshwar Reddy, Station House Officer, Jubilee Hills, said that Laxmi Narayana visited the clinic on 16 February at about 2:30 pm.

“At around 4.30 pm, he was taken into the operation theatre, and the procedure went on for almost two hours. At around 7 pm, they had called his father and he was subsequently rushed to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills, where he was declared dead on arrival,” Reddy said.

Laxmi Narayana was set to tie the knot in the next month after getting engaged a week earlier.

Meanwhile, the body has been sent for autopsy, and a case has been filed against the clinic for negligence under Section 304 (A) (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) based on a complaint submitted by the victim’s father.

“We are checking the hospital records and security camera footage,” officials said.

About the surgery

According to the Cleveland Clinic, smile designing surgery is also known as cosmetic dentistry, which focuses on enhancing the appearance and aesthetics of a person’s smile_._

Dental bonding and teeth whitening are two frequent cosmetic dental procedures.

Insurance companies typically do not cover the costs of cosmetic dentistry because they do not perceive these procedures as critically important from a health standpoint.

Dangers of anaesthesia during surgeries

Doctors often use anaesthesia during surgery to make sure the patient is unconscious and unable to feel pain. Since Crawford Long performed the first painless operation in 1842 by giving a patient diethyl ether, it has been widely utilised in surgery.

According to Medical Malpractice Help, patients who are given anaesthesia run the danger of anaesthesia overdose, which can have major consequences because it is hazardous to the body. To prevent anaesthetic toxicity and serious health issues, it is essential to consider the type of anaesthetic, the appropriate dosage, and the rate of injection.

The medication is injected intravenously (IV) or given through a tube or mask, per Medical News Today. An anesthesiologist or nurse anaesthetist, a medical professional with specialised training, administers the procedure and keeps an eye on the patient’s breathing and vital signs throughout.

Some people might have no side effects, while others might have a few. This includes temporary confusion and memory loss, dizziness, difficulty passing urine, bruising or soreness from the IV drip, nausea and vomiting, shivering and feeling cold and sore throat due to the breathing tube.

The surgery itself carries the greatest risk, while being extremely safe. Long-term surgical patients are particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes such as postoperative confusion, heart attack, pneumonia, and stroke, stated Medical News Today.

The blood pressure of patients is drastically lowered by anaesthetics, and each person responds differently, explained Medical Malpractice Help. For individuals who are overweight, figuring out just how much anaesthesia to provide might be particularly challenging. However, anaesthesia overdose can cause a hazardous drop in blood pressure in any patient. If doctors do nothing to increase the blood pressure, the patient may suffer life-threatening consequences or perhaps pass away.

After decades of reduction, the fatality rate from full anaesthesia climbed globally last year. Within a year, one in 20 patients passed away from general anaesthesia; for patients 65 years of age and above, the statistic rises to one in ten.

Similar incident

In a similar incident, three doctors of Indore’s Rajshree hospital in Rambagh were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a 17-year-old died due to anaesthesia overdose.

The teenager, Amit Sen, was admitted to the hospital on 29 May after an accident. Doctors administered an injection to him and his health condition deteriorated. He was then shifted to another hospital, where was he declared dead, according to The Times of India.

During the investigation, it was found that the accused had not followed pre-operative guidelines and had failed to perform a sensitivity test mandated before giving anaesthesia. They also had not taken permission from parents in required formation.