ROCKFORD, Ill. (October 5, 2021) – The Illinois law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of a Woodstock, Ill. man who died after being sedated during a routine tooth extraction surgery.
On April 7, 2021, 57-year-old Lyle Schmidt underwent a tooth extraction surgery at the office of Dr. Kurtis E. Wirth in Rockford, Ill. As part of the procedure, Dr. Wirth administered IV sedation to Mr. Schmidt. Approximately 20-30 minutes into the surgery, Mr. Schmidt indicated that he needed to use the restroom. To keep him asleep for the remainder of the procedure, Dr. Wirth gave Mr. Schmidt additional doses of Flumazenil and Naloxone.
Shortly after the additional doses were administered, Mr. Schmidt’s oxygen levels declined, he stopped breathing, fell backwards, and went into cardiac arrest. Mr. Schmidt was taken to Saint Anthony Medical Center, where he died three days later.
“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,” Plaintiff’s attorney John A. Mennie said. “Had Dr. Wirth taken the proper precautions, Lyle would have walked out of the office that day with just some minor pain and would still be with us today.”
On October 5, 2021, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard attorneys Matthew L. Williams and John A. Mennie filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Schmidt’s family, alleging Dr. Wirth utilized deep sedation without a license to do so, improperly administered IV anesthetic in an office setting for a high-risk patient, failed to monitor the sedation, and adequately protect, monitor and manage Mr. Schmidt’s airway, among other claims.
Mr. Schmidt is survived by two brothers and his partner of more than 20 years.
For more information, please contact Marcie Mangan at (312) 372-1227 or mmangan@salvilaw.com
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Case No.: [JEFFREY SCHMIDT, as Independent Administrator of THE ESTATE OF LYLE SCHMIDT, deceased, Plaintiffs, vs. KURTIS E. WIRTH, DDS, Defendant.]
