The San Diego County Department of the Medical Examiner has provided new information about the 9-year-old girl in California who died hours after she was administered anesthesia and underwent dental surgery.
Silvanna Moreno, who was pronounced dead at a children's hospital in San Diego on March 18, was not asleep when she was discharged after her procedure at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista, CA. The girl fell asleep in the car while traveling home, according to an update from the county medical examiner.
Furthermore, the medical examiner clarified that the information that has been released is a preliminary summary and that a final report will be released once the investigation into Moreno's death is complete.
After Moreno underwent her procedure at Dreamtime Dentistry on March 18, she was taken to a recovery room at the practice before she was discharged. Initially, authorities stated that she remained asleep during her car ride home and stayed asleep when she was transported to her bed at her home. The family reportedly checked on the girl throughout the day. During one check, Moreno was found unresponsive, so they called 911. Lifesaving measures were provided, but she could not be revived.
On March 30, Dreamtime Dentistry released a statement from Dr. Ryan Watkins, a licensed dentist who is trained in anesthesiology, regarding Moreno's death, saying the girl "was discharged in stable condition -- awake, with stable vital signs and protective reflexes intact -- into her mother's care, following our standard post-anesthesia protocols."
Watkins said in the statement that he was fully cooperating with the medical examiner's investigation.
Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been set up to defray the funeral costs for Moreno, a big sister and third-grader at Sherman Elementary School in San Diego. Her friends described her as "kind, caring, and always happy," according to the GoFundMe page.
"She was the sunshine in every room she entered, always greeting staff and classmates with a big smile and an even bigger hug."
The goal was to reach $10,000. As of April 3, it had already reached more than $18,000.
