Lake County coroner: Volo man died after receiving too much anesthesia from dentist

Investigations into a Gurnee-area dentist are underway after a 51-year-old Volo man died following a dental procedure, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.

Corey Causey was put under anesthesia for a dental procedure on June 9, stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest, Banek said. He was rushed to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and pronounced dead on June 10.

Banek's analysis concluded that the dentist - Dr. Aaron Cwik of Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons of Lake County - administered too high a dose of the anesthesia drug Propofol.

Banek, who is a certified registered nurse anesthetist, said the dentist did not supply supplemental oxygen until the procedure was well underway and did not monitor Causey's vitals well enough to know in time that there was a problem.

"It was a significant deviation in the standard of care," Banek said. "Unfortunately it resulted in the death of a gentleman that was preventable."

A representative at Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons of Lake County said Wednesday they were not allowed to speak about the case. Cwik is a licensed dentist in both Illinois and Wisconsin and has a "dental sedation permit" in Illinois.

Banek said she reached out to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation with her findings and the agency is investigating the matter.

The Lake County state's attorney's office is also investigating Causey's death. A spokesman said the office could not comment while the investigation was ongoing.