Safety advocates want stricter legislation after child's death at Fort Worth dental office
FORT WORTH, Texas - Activists are looking at a child's death at a Fort Worth dental office earlier this year and hoping it spurs the state to pass stricter legislation to make sure such tragedies never happen again.
The backstory:
Investigators determined Chrishelle Hemphill, 48, was responsible for the April death of 4-year-old Aithana Rodriguez-Arriaga at Cuddle Kids Dental in Fort Worth, and her arrest affidavit details a series of errors in the child's death.
Chrishelle Hemphill, 48
The affidavit states Rodriguez-Arriaga did not wake up following a procedure on her tongue performed by Hemphill on Apr. 1. An unusually high amount of meperidine (demerol, an opiate) was found in the child's blood system, which a medical examiner said would have been toxic for an adult.
Rodriguez-Arriaga was also given chloral hydrate, which the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners says has been discontinued and has no specific reversal agent.
After finding Rodriguez-Arriaga unresponsive, Hemphill gave her Flumazenil, the wrong reversal agent, instead of Narcan.
Hemphill also used an AED to check the child's pulse after finding her unresponsive, despite Rodriguez-Arriaga having a pulse.
Investigators later found syringes with varying levels of medication in them. An employee at Cuddle Kids Dental Care told investigators if they did not use the full dose of medication, they would save it for another patient.
What they're saying:
"We have to figure out how to stop this from happening again."
Ware Wendell, the Executive Director of patient advocacy group Texas Watch, tells FOX 4's Lori Brown that Hemphill's arrest affidavit highlights a number of issues within the investigation.
"It seems that there were so many things that were missed here."
Ware Wendell, Texas Watch
Despite the incident happening in April, Hemphill's dental license was not suspended until July 15, when she was arrested and charged with injury to a child.
"If you've got an issue like this where a patient dies, the state should be swarming an office to make sure that everything is being done correctly," Wendell tells Brown.
Wendell also says families are capped at receiving $250,000 from the state when accidents like this occur.
He says Texas Watch plans to fight for Rodriguez-Arriaga's family in court, hoping to prioritize legislation that requires PALS certification (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) for two people present at a child's procedure with sedation.
"We need to make sure that we have regulators who are on the ball watching doctors like a hawk, making sure that only good doctors get licensed and that their facilities are inspected on a regular basis."
Everman ISD statement
Everman ISD, where Rodriguez-Arriaga was a student, released the following statement following Hemphill's arrest:
"Everman ISD is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of 4-year-old Aithana Rodriguez-Arriaga, a student at Dan Powell Early Learning Academy. Our hearts are with her family, classmates, and teachers during this incredibly difficult time.
Aithana was a cherished member of our school community, and her loss is felt deeply across our district. We are committed to continuing to support her family and providing care and resources to our students and staff as they grieve."
What you can do:
Aithana Rodriguez-Arriaga's family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses, which you can find here.
What's next:
Hemphill is out of jail on a $10,000 bond. Her attorney did not respond to FOX 4's request for comment.
Cuddle Kids Dental Care will reopen on Thursday, July 23, according to a statement on the business' door.
The State of Texas says complaints filed against Hephill are confidential due to being part of the investigation.
The Source: Information in this story comes from an interview with Texas Watch and previous FOX 4 reporting.