The parents of a 40-year-old man who died due to complications related to anesthesia administration during a dental implant placement are seeking changes to state law to make procedures safer, according to a story published June 16 on Arizona ABC15.
Bill and Brenda Swanson, the parents of Derek Swanson, who died after undergoing a procedure by Dr. Derek Lamb at Scottsdale Facial and Oral Surgery in Arizona, wants the law changed, requiring two providers during procedures. One provider would be focused on surgery, and the other would be licensed and responsible for anesthesia. Currently, this isn’t required in any U.S. state, according to the story.
Lamb, an oral surgeon, oversaw the surgery and the anesthesia during their son’s procedure in 2023. The procedure was on March 3, 2023, and Derek Swanson was taken off life support on March 10, 2023. The county medical examiner ruled that Swanson’s death was due to complications related to anesthesia administration, according to the story.
During its investigation following Derek Swanson's death, the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners ruled that there were several deviations from the standard of care, including that Lamb reportedly didn’t consider several risk factors. Derek Swanson smoked cannabis, which can raise the risk of throat spasms that can close off the airway during anesthesia, on the morning of the dental implant procedure.
Lamb claimed to the board that he didn’t consider his cannabis use but that Swanson didn’t appear impaired. The board determined that Lamb’s conduct was unprofessional and required him to take 12 hours of continuing education. Three months later, Lamb’s anesthesia permit was reinstated, according to the story.
Later, the Swanson family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lamb and Scottsdale Facial and Oral Surgery. They claim that multiple failures during anesthesia administration left Swanson with too little oxygen, resulting in a brain injury that caused his death, according to the story.
In response to the suit, Lamb has denied negligence.
