A dentist was reportedly sued after he allegedly gave a patient an excessive amount of fentanyl and allegedly caused brain damage.
Maria Lugo Querales of Miami allegedly nearly died while receiving an “unnecessary” root canal surgery from Dr. Jerry Teague in Marble Falls, Texas on May 10, 2022, a lawsuit filed by her husband, Luis Espana, claims, according to San Antonio Express News. Lugo Querales’ heart and breathing allegedly stopped due to the alleged overdose of fentanyl, which the lawsuit claims cut off the oxygen to her brain, the outlet reported. Teague is accused of failing to intubate the victim beforehand.
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The victim was immediately transported to St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, the outlet reported. She allegedly remains hospitalized in a specialized rehabilitation clinic in Florida. (RELATED: Disfigured Woman Sues Dentist Who Allegedly Rushed 20 Filings)
Fentanyl can be added to midazolam and administered to patients during dental procedures to alleviate pain, according to the National Library of Medicine. Both drugs are popular options in patient sedation.
Police investigated the incident for two weeks until the dentist died from pancreatic cancer at age 70, according to the outlet.
Teague was reportedly no stranger to suspensions and lawsuits involving drugs. He faced previous probes regarding a failed drug test in 2016 that was positive for fentanyl and allegedly stolen midazolam from medical supplies, the outlet reported.
Dentists Dr. Lane Freeman and Dr. Stuart Nunnally, along with their dentist clinic Nunnally, Freeman and Owens, were also sued by Espana for their alleged involvement in Lugo Querales surgery, court documents obtained by the outlet showed. They denied allegations of medical negligence, blaming Teague, who they said was an “independent contractor,” according to the outlet.
Teague was allegedly reported missing by his wife the night before the Lugo Querales’ procedure, according to the outlet. Espana claimed in the lawsuit that his wife was unaware of her anesthesiologist’s alleged missing status prior to her surgery.