A pediatric dentist in Texas was arrested on July 15 for allegedly administering doses of sedatives, which would have been toxic for an adult, that killed a 4-year-old girl during a frenotomy to fix a tongue tie, according to multiple news stories.
Dr. Chrishelle Hemphill, 48, was arrested outside her practice, Cuddle Kids Dental Care, in Fort Worth, TX. Hemphill was charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, a felony, for the death of 4‑year‑old Aithana Rodriguez-Arriaga on April 1, according to the stories.
During a routine tongue tie procedure on April 1, Hemphill allegedly gave the child meperidine, a synthetic opioid pain medication often known by the brand name Demerol, two additional sedatives, and nitrous oxide. Then, the 4-year-old went into distress.
When the girl became unresponsive, Hemphill allegedly began chest compressions. Another dentist, who had been on their lunch break during the procedure, stepped in and continued CPR until medical emergency personnel arrived, according to the stories.
Aithana never woke up, according to the stories.
The child’s cause of death was meperidine toxicity, according to a ruling from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. Tests revealed that Aithana had 793 ng per ml of meperidine in her system at the time of her death. The normal adult range for meperidine is 200 to 500 ng per ml, according to the news stories.
Hemphill, who has been licensed to practice in Texas since 2017, allegedly failed to recognize the respiratory problems Aithana was having, and the clinician purportedly failed to give Aithana appropriate medication to address the opiate overdose.
Once the 4-year-old became unresponsive, Hemphill reportedly used an automated external defibrillator to check her pulse and administered flumazenil, an antidote to reverse benzodiazepine overdoses, to counteract the meperidine. However, Narcan (naloxone) should have been given to the child.
Aithana was remembered as “filled with life and kindness,” according to a GoFundMe set up on behalf of her family. “Her presence always lit up a room, and she brought so much joy to everyone around her.”
Originally from Shreveport, LA, Hemphill graduated from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Tennessee. She specialized in pediatric dentistry, earning a Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington, DC, according to her practice website.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
