An Ohio surgeon is facing the potential suspension of his medical license following the tragic death of a patient during a routine dental procedure.

Dr. Faisal Quereshy, who operates a surgical practice in Medina, is under scrutiny after 48-year-old Matthew Miller passed away in August 2023. Miller’s widow has initiated a lawsuit against Quereshy, claiming malpractice during a procedure meant to extract three teeth. Although Quereshy contended that Miller was approved for general anesthesia, court documents obtained by CBS affiliate WOIO indicate that Miller should have first been evaluated by a general physician.

WOIO reports that a hearing examiner has suggested a temporary suspension of Dr. Quereshy’s license to administer anesthesia as a precautionary measure.

Following the lawsuit, the Ohio State Dental Board launched an investigation into Dr. Quereshy and his practice, the Visage Surgical Institute. The Board has signaled its intention to either suspend or revoke Quereshy’s medical license.

During an October 2025 hearing, evidence was presented detailing the events of Miller’s procedure on August 4, 2023. According to a report from Law&Crime, the outpatient surgery was expected to be straightforward, with Miller’s wife and son waiting nearby while it was conducted.

Not long after the anesthesia was administered by Quereshy, Miller “desaturated and stopped breathing on his own.” He was taken to a hospital, where he had a heart attack. Miller died after spending four days on life support.

According to WOIO’s reporting, the Board alleged that Quereshy failed to get physician clearance when Miller was at risk to be put under anesthesia. The documents stated that while Miller “self-reported” his weight as 315 pounds, he actually weighed 355 pounds, classifying him as “super morbidly obese.”

Quereshy reportedly said during his deposition, “Nothing in his evaluation with me made me believe that he would be at a higher risk for anesthesia in my office.”

Attorney Michael Pasternak, who represents Miller’s widow, told WOIO, “He had every risk factor that you could imagine walking in, in terms of giving general anesthesia.”

The hearing examiner agreed with the Board that Quereshy did not adequately evaluate Miller before putting him under, nor did he monitor his patient properly while he was under.

Despite her agreement with the Board’s findings, the hearing examiner did not recommend a full revocation of Quereshy’s license to practice medicine. She called Miller’s death an “isolated failure,” but said that the evidence did not support widespread systemic failures on Quereshy’s part.

The hearing examiner recommended that Quereshy’s license to administer anesthesia be suspended for six months to one year, plus two years probation, which would require him to comply with random medical reviews of his high-risk patients.

The final decision on Quereshy’s punishment will ultimately come from the Board, which will meet in March. WOIO reported that the civil lawsuit against Quereshy is still ongoing.