VANCOUVER — A man is suing his dentist after doctors at Vancouver General Hospital removed a dental drill bit from his abdomen that he alleges was negligently dropped into his throat.
Istvan Balyi says that on May 13, 2015, he attended the West Broadway clinic of Dr. Roxana Saldarriaga and her partner, Dr. Dennis Nimchuk, to have a tooth extracted and to have five dental implants.
But 2 1/2 hours into the oral surgery and during the fifth implant, says Balyi’s notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Saldarriaga dropped a drill bit attached to a handheld drill into his throat.
“Immediately following the incident, Saldarriaga instructed the plaintiff to sit up and not to breathe. Saldarriaga reassured the plaintiff that the drill bit was not sharp. Nimchuk advised the plaintiff to swallow the drill bit.”
Balyi tried to swallow the bit but was initially unsuccessful, says the lawsuit. It says that after a dental assistant provided him with water, Balyi was able to swallow it.
After he had done so, Saldarriaga completed the fifth implant and he was presented with the bill for the surgery, the suit says.
The next day, Balyi returned to the clinic where his teeth and gums were examined, and later in the day he attended the office of his general practitioner, who provided him with a requisition for an X-ray of his abdomen.
That same day his doctor reviewed the X-ray and informed him that the drill bit had been located in his ascending colon and told him to go to the emergency room immediately, says the lawsuit.
After attending the emergency room at VGH, he was prescribed laxatives and sent home, and the next day returned to VGH where further X-rays were taken of his abdomen and a general surgeon was consulted.
On May 16, 2015, a gastroenterologist at VGH recommended immediate extraction of the drill bit and later that day it was removed in a procedure known as a colonoscopy, says the suit.
Farouk Jiwa, a lawyer who is representing the longtime Vancouver resident, said that his client was not only concerned about the alleged negligence involving the drill bit but also the manner in which the matter was handled.
“The unprofessional conduct in not having Mr. Balyi seek immediate emergency treatment when VGH was only two blocks away was egregious, in my opinion.”
Balyi claims he sustained stomach pain and complications due to medications, side-effects due to medication, fatigue and exhaustion, irritability and loss of patience, anxiety and depression.
He is claiming general, aggravated, punitive and special damages. No response has yet been filed to the lawsuit, which contains allegations that have not been tested in court. The named defendants include Saldarriaga and Nimchuk.
A woman answering the phone at the dental clinic said that Saldarriaga would be out of the country until March 29.
Asked if a message could nonetheless be forwarded to Saldarriaga, she said: “If you can defer and wait until she returns to Vancouver, to Canada, that would be helpful.”
She said a message seeking comment had been given to Nimchuk.
