NYC anesthesiologist is investigated over the death of a woman, 26, during childbirth and for treatment of three other patients, including one 'who wasn't given anesthesia during a C-section'
An anesthesiologist is being investigated by the New York State Board for Professional Conduct over the death of a 26-year-old woman during childbirth last year, which has sparked protests over higher mortality rates for black mothers.
Sha-Asia Washington, a teacher's aide from Canarsie, Brooklyn, died of cardiac arrest just two hours after delivering a healthy baby girl, Khloe, via C-section at Woodhull Hospital in Bedford-Stuyvesant in July 2020.
According to documents, Dr Dmitry Shelchkov, then working as an anesthesiologist at Woodhull, 'deviated from medically acceptable standards' when he administered an epidural to Washington, and is accused of failing to appropriately give her oxygen when she experienced difficulty breathing, and then lying about his actions.
Sha-Asia Washington, 26 (left), died after undergoing a C-section in Brooklyn in July 2020. Dr Dmitry Shelchkov, 60 (right), who was Washington's anesthesiologist, had his license suspended in March pending an investigation by health officials
Washington's boyfriend, Juwane Lopez, has been raising daughter Khloe on his own
Shelchkov, 60, is also being investigated in connection with the treatment of three other patients, including a 31-year-old pregnant woman who ended up having a C-section without anesthesia, a 62-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man.
The New York Department of Health on March 2 suspended Shelchkov's medical license, stating that the doctor's professional activity 'constitutes an imminent danger to the health of the people...'
Shelchkov is facing eight professional misconduct charges, including gross negligence, incompetence, fraudulent practice, false report and failure to maintain records.
Documents reviewed by DailyMail.com state that on July 2, Sha-Asia Washington was admitted to Woodhull Hospital for induction of labor. At 9.36pm, Shelchkov administered an epidural, and said that she 'tolerated the procedure well.'
Shelchkov said that a minute after he gave Washington a test dose of epidural, he administered additional anesthetic medication, namely, fentanyl.
Shelchkov has been accused of improperly administering an epidural to Washington, failing to properly give her oxygen, and they lying about his actions. The 26-year-old mom, pictured during her pregnancy, suffered multiple cardiac arrests and died two hours after delivery
Two minutes later, Washington reported difficulty breathing and became 'unresponsive and pulseless.'
Washington delivered her baby daughter via C-section at 9.45pm. In the next two hours, the new mom suffered several cardiac arrests and was pronounced dead at 11.51pm. She never got a chance to hold Khloe.
According to the state Board for Professional Medical Conduct, Shelchkov deviated from medically accepted standards by improperly inserting the epidural catheter; failing to wait an adequate period between the test epidural dose and additional medication; failing to keep accurate records of Washington's treatment, and failing to appropriately administer an oxygen mask.
Shelchkov is also accused of lying 'with intent to deceive' about the details of Washington's treatment during a December interview with the Office of Professional Medical Conduct.
Washington's boyfriend, Juwan Lopez, has been raising their daughter on his own. In November, he filed a notice of claim signaling his intent to sue Woodhull Hospital and Shelchkov.
Desiree Williams, Lopez's mother, told The City that while the doctor's suspension does not bring them justice, she is comforted knowing that Shelchkov 'can't hurt anybody else.'
She added: 'I don’t think that we ever will feel that we received justice, because it was carelessness that took her away.'
Williams said that her son and Washington had been together for two years, and that he planned to propose marriage to her within days of welcoming their first child together.
She added that Washington, whom she described as 'caring' and 'humble,' was excited to become a mother and 'did everything right' during her pregnancy.
In the days after her death, Washington's loved ones and maternal health activists staged a rally outside Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, demanding justice for the young mother.
Khloe was handed to her father in the hospital. She never got to meet her mother
Lopez, pictured with her daughter, who turned 9 months on April 2, is suing the hospital and Shelchkov
'She's 26 years old. How does your heart stop at 26? How? She was healthy - there was nothing wrong with her, her whole pregnancy,' Washington's best friend Jazmin Lopez, Juwan's sister, told ABC 7 NY.
Celebrities, including Amy Schumer, took to Instagram to raise awareness of Washington's case and highlight racial disparities in maternal mortality rates.
'Scream her name,' the Trainwreck star wrote to her 10.5 million followers.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women in the US are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. In New York, women of color are 8 to 12 times more likely to die from childbirth complications.
A spokesperson for Woodhull Hospital released a statement after Washington's death.
'We are saddened by this death, and our condolences go out to the family of the deceased. The City’s public health system recognizes the disproportionate increased burden that black and brown patients face during childbirth. We are devoted to understanding the causes and are committed to addressing this unacceptable disparity,' the statement read.
Just three months before Washington's death, Amber Rose Isaac, a black Puerto Rican woman from The Bronx, also aged 26, died from complications during a C-section at Montefiore Medical Center. Like Washington, she never got to meet her son, Elias.
Isaac's boyfriend said that in the days and weeks before her death, she voiced concerns about her condition during pregnancy to her doctors, but nobody listened.
Isaac and Washington's deaths galvanized social justice and health advocates, who are calling on local and national health officials to address the racial disparity in mortality rates for women of color.
Khloe is pictured in front of a mural dedicated to her late mother, which was unveiled in Brooklyn in September
Meanwhile, Washington's daughter, Khloe, who turned nine months old on April 2, is said to be healthy and happy. She has a pillow with Washington's photo printed on it, and greets her mother every morning.
She also gets to see her mom whenever she visits a mural dedicated to Washington, which was unveiled last fall in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
'My main reason to getting this done is to Spread Awareness of Birth Mortality so no other Black Mother should suffer and not be able to raise their child,' wrote Lopez in an Instagram post accompanying a photo of himself holding Khloe in his arms in front of her mother's mural. 'My Second reason for getting this done is for your Princess to let you know your Mommy was a loved person and she will be with us forever.'
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