Officials say Silvanna Moreno died on March 18 hours after a dental surgery and after her family discovered something seemed wrong
- Silvanna Moreno, a Southern California third-grader, died on March 18 hours after surgery at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista
- Her cause of death was listed as methemoglobinemia in the setting of recent nitrous oxide administration
- Methemoglobinemia can occur when excessive amounts of nitrous oxide get into someone’s hemoglobin and tissues don’t receive enough oxygen
The cause of death has been revealed for a 9-year-old girl who underwent anesthesia for a dental procedure earlier this year.
Silvanna Moreno, a third-grader from Southern California, tragically died on March 18, just hours after undergoing dental surgery at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista, Calif. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s report, her cause of death was methemoglobinemia—a condition where excessive nitrous oxide interferes with oxygen delivery in the blood, leading to hypoxia. Silvanna had received nitrous oxide during her procedure. Though she initially seemed stable post-surgery, she became lethargic at home. Despite her family’s efforts, she remained unresponsive, prompting a 911 call around 4:46 p.m.—roughly six hours after anesthesia was administered.
