A 3-year-old Kailua girl with a sparkling personality and aquamarine eyes suffered massive brain damage after receiving an overdose of sedatives at a dentist’s office, according to her parents and their attorney.
Finley Puleo Boyle has been in a coma at Kapiolani Medical Center since Dec. 3, after her mother, Ashley Boyle, brought her to Dr. Lilly Geyer, a dentist at Island Dentistry for Children in Kailua, for a root canal.
"She was the happiest little girl, completely healthy her whole life," her mother said, choking up. "She loved her friends. She loved animals, she loved her dog. … She loved people."
"Her condition has not improved in the past week that she has been at the hospital," Boyle said. "She’s opening her eyes a little, but she’s not responding to commands. She has had two MRIs. The second one came back really devastating. She suffered massive brain injury."
Ashley Boyle was in the waiting room, unaware of what was happening to her little girl in the dentist chair until she happened to see emergency medical technicians arrive on the other side of a glass door. She rushed to her daughter’s side and found her unconscious. She said the dental staff had not told her they called 911.
"They never at any time came out and alerted me that anything was going on," she said. "I’m a nurse. I’m trained at CPR. … They were giving her Narcan, so I knew it was an overdose." Narcan can reverse the effects of opioids.
Attorney L. Richard "Rick" Fried Jr. said the child, who weighs 40 pounds, had received a heavy dose of Demerol along with two other drugs, Hydroxyzine and Chloral Hydrate.
"What happened to her was an egregious overdose of three central nervous system suppressant drugs," said Fried, who plans to file a lawsuit. "Things went horribly wrong. We are just shocked that these drugs in these doses in this combination could be given to a child of this size."
A technician administered the drugs even before the dentist arrived, Fried said. The dentist later started the procedure and, when things went awry, summoned a pediatrician whose office is nearby to help revive Finley.
"As we all know a few minutes can make an enormous difference in this sort of situation," Fried said. "If you are giving drugs of this kind, you must have the appropriate resuscitative measures in the office and must have the competence to keep an airway open."
Calls to Island Dentistry for Children went straight to voice mail Thursday, and no one responded to a request for comment from Geyer. Its website has been replaced with a photo of blue sky and clouds.
Geyer is a licensed dentist, and there are no records of complaints against her or Island Dentistry for Children on file with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. She was first issued a licence to practice in Hawaii in July 2005, and her current license is due to expire Dec. 31, 2015, according to the licensing division.
Online reviews of Geyer’s practice are mixed. Some praise its efforts to cater to children, which include the use of flavored gloves and a TV set for children in the dentist chair, as well as a chalkboard wall for kids.
Boyle said her daughter first visited Geyer in November and had X-rays done. The dentist recommended extensive work involving four teeth. Boyle said she trusted the dentist’s judgment but now wishes she had not.
"Obviously, as a professional, I work on people every day, and no one questions my judgment on things," Boyle said. "Sometimes you just want to step back and be a mom and not question what people are doing. … Now I’m regretting not questioning it."
Finley, who was born in Jacksonville, Fla., has lived in Hawaii since she was 3 months old with her mother and father, Lt. Evan Boyle, a naval officer. She is their only child.
Evan Boyle said the doctor told him it appeared his daughter was without oxygen for five or more minutes, judging from the brain damage.
Her parents are trying to hope for the best, although the future is uncertain and they don’t know whether she will ever be able to walk or feed herself again.
"She was very well behaved, very loving," Evan Boyle said. "She used to verbalize to Ashley and myself without any prompting, ‘I love you Daddy,’ ‘I love you Mommy.’"
Now they and other family members are keeping a vigil by her bedside, waiting to hear that sweet voice again.
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Finley’s godparents are raising funds for her medical expenses. To help, visit www.fundly.com/fundly-for-finley.
