A Kamloops Dentist has been suspended for three months and will be required to pay a $50,000 fine, as well as costs of $50,891, after one of his patients went into cardiac arrest and subsequently sustained a severe brain injury.
Dr. Bobby Rishiraj is registered with the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C. (CDSBC), as a certified specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The decision to suspend Dr. Rishiraj was handed down by a discipline committee on October 19th, 2015.
According to the CDSBC, a female patient sought Dr. Rishiraj’s professional assistance to have her wisdom teeth removed back in November 2012.
It was during the procedure that the patient went into cardiac arrest.
During the investigation into this matter, Dr. Rishiraj admitted to providing a deep sedation at his facility, although his facility had not been approved as a deep sedation facility and he was not approved to provide deep sedation to patients.
In addition, he admitted that he was not operating the facility in compliance with CDBSC’s sedation and general anaesthetic standards.
Following the CDBSC’s investigation, it came to light that Rishiraj ran his practice to promote “efficiencies,” by treating as many patients as possible in a short amount of time. As a result, he failed to recognize the patient’s cardiac arrest in a “timely” manner and delayed resuscitative measures, leading to serious brain damage.
Aside from his suspension and financial repercussions, the dentist will also be prohibited from providing even moderate sedation, and the CDSBC may monitor and inspect his practice at any time without notice.
The hearing pertaining to this case was held in Vancouver and started in August, 2015.
