English Woman Died in Dentist’s Chair because of Mouthwash Allergy
Sacha Rumaner, 30, died on a dentist's chair because of an allergic reaction to mouthwash. Rumaner was not subjected to anaesthetic while having a routine treatment when suddenly the young woman went into shock. The incident happened at Morley Street dental clinic located in Brighton, East Sussex. Sacha complained that she feels itchy on her back and leg, and that she's feeling hot. After that, the poor English woman suddenly collapsed and slid onto the floor. Just in a couple of minutes, the life of Sacha ended.
The staff on the said institution thought that she suffered from an epileptic shock and did protocols from an emergency call operator. The dentistry staff immediately did procedures in clearing the airway and they monitored her breathing. The paramedics that arrived tried to save the life of the English woman by resuscitating her, but it was unsuccessful. Sacha Rumaner was declared dead while taking her to Brighton Royal Sussex County Hospital.
Several tests we're done to know the cause of death of Sacha Rumaner. Soon those tests unveiled that she suffered an anaphylactic reaction to the chemical that the mouthwash, with a brand name of Corsodyl, has. The name of the said chemical is Chlorhexidine. Chlorhexidine is usually being used to treat tooth infection. It is effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores.
The main purpose of Corsodyl is to maintain proper oral hygiene, prevent and treat gingivitis. It can also help in healing after undergoing a dental surgery, treats stomatitis (mouth ulcers), manage yeast infection of mouth and tongue and lessens irritation from denture.
Person may experience abrupt side effects when using Corsodyl which includes, burning sensations, temporary disturbance in taste, temporary brown stain on the tongue and teeth, swelling of salivary glands, skin and mucus membrane irritation, and skin peeling inside the mouth can be experienced.
Sacha became cyanotic (bluish discoloration of the skin), her breathing stopped, and had no pulse. The staff should have given her chest compressions, a dose of adrenaline and oxygen immediately and should've saved Sacha's life.
Her dentist, Labina Rahman, admitted that she forgot to give a warning to Rumaner about the signs and symptoms of anaphylactic shock like difficulty in breathing and itchiness. Dr Karen Henderson, Brighton and Hove assistant claimed that anaphylactic shock was the main reason of cardiac arrests of patients, so it's the responsibility of the staffs to give adrenaline.
Dr Michael Tarzi stated that even though Rumaner did not have manifestations of common symptoms, anaphylaxis should've been considered. On the other hand, Dr Tarzi also said dental staff that haven't experienced handling cases of cardiac arrest before, would take them 3 minutes to recognise the said condition, search for adrenaline and administer it to the patient, because the reaction same with Miss Rumaner had been so sudden and violent. In other words, there was no assurance that Sacha could've been saved.