17-Year-Old Girl Gets Wisdom Teeth Pulled, Suddenly Has Cardiac Arrest

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Jun 16, 2015 07:16 AM EDT

A 17-year-old teenager from Minnesota suffered from an unexpected cardiac arrest and multiple seizures while undergoing a routine wisdom teeth extraction procedure on Tuesday.

Sydney Galleger was just going for a routine wisdom teeth removal last week when the unexpected attack occurred.

"Sydney went in this morning for a simple, common wisdom teeth extraction. All went good until the very end when her blood pressure shot up and her pulse dropped and then she went into cardiac arrest," Sydney's mother, Diane Galleger wrote on the CaringBridge website.

The doctor administered CPR and called 911. Ms Galleger was "was immediately rushed to the hospital where more doctors and nurses than I could even count, started working on her."

Ms Galleger was transferred to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. According to Fox News, she had to have surgery to help bring down the swelling in her brain. Since then, she is being assisted with a ventilator to breathe.

According to CBS Minnesota, there have been reports that Ms Gallager have passed away over the weekend. However, the site can confirm that she is still alive and fighting.

The prognosis, however, is still poor since the 17-year-old showed 9 out of 10 signs of brain death.

"She is in very critical condition and of course we are praying for a miracle but we also have to face the reality that the prognosis is not good," her family wrote in the website.

Ms Gallager's family is not aware of what had happened and it is speculated that their daughter may have a heart condition.

There have been reported complications related to dental surgeries.

"It is a rare event, thank heaven," said Dr. Mark Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor of New York University's College of Dentistry, who is not involved in Ms. Galleger's case, as per CBS News.

"We like to think of having wisdom teeth out as a casual occurrence, but it can be an extensive surgery, it's important to remember that. It is surgery and it should be managed judiciously," Dr. Wolff added.

He adds that there are risks when it comes to general anesthesia. He explains that dentists prefer to administer as little anesthesia or any method of sedation possible to lessen the risk of having something happen.

Ms Galleger was an athlete and has received love and support from her high school's teams in Eden Prairie, Fox9 reported. The school's baseball, hockey, and lacrosse team wore her initials on their uniforms. The recent State Championship victory of the Eden Prairie Girls Lacrosse team was dedicated in her honor as well.

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