The Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE — A 9-year-old Milwaukee boy has died after he was found unresponsive following surgery to remove his tonsils at a Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin outpatient facility, according to the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office.
The boy was found unresponsive Tuesday at his home in the 700 block of E. Locust St. shortly after returning from the tonsillectomy.
According to the medical examiner’s report, he had been given a dose of the narcotic painkiller oxycodone at the facility.
Later in the day, after he was brought home and a prescription was filled, he was given another dose by his mother.
After that, he got tired and lay on a couch for about an hour until his parents noticed that his breathing became labored and sounded odd.
His mother called the surgical outpatient center at S. 106th St. and W. Lincoln Ave. to talk to a nurse, but within minutes his father called 911.
After the 911 call, the boy was taken to the Children’s Hospital emergency department.
The child’s father told the medical examiner’s office that the prescription for oxycodone was brought to Children’s Hospital during his son’s emergency admission. He said Children’s took a sample of the medicine and had it sent out to an “independent third party” in Philadelphia to be tested.
The boy was pronounced dead 5:31 p.m. Friday, the medical examiner’s office reported.
He was identified Monday as Solomon Womack of Milwaukee. His family declined to be interviewed.
In an emailed statement, Marc Gorelick, chief operating officer of Children’s Hospital, said he could not comment on the case but added, “serious complications from standard procedures are extremely rare.”
“On behalf of all of our doctors, nurses and medical staff, I want to express our sadness and deepest sympathy to the family.”
Tonsillectomies are a common medical procedure, often performed when a child has large tonsils causing frequent sore throats, ear infections or trouble breathing.
More than half a million tonsillectomies are performed annually on children in the United States, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
According to the medical examiner’s report, the boy had been dealing with tonsillitis since November.
He was having problems eating and sleeping, so a decision was made to have the tonsils removed.
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