Background: Footage from Dr. Faisal Quereshy's deposition (via WOIO). Inset: Matthew Miller (Andras Crematory and Funeral Home Alternatives).
An Ohio-based surgeon whose patient died after a routine dental procedure faces the suspension of his license.
Dr. Faisal Quereshy, a surgeon with a practice in Medina, was sued by the widow of 48-year-old Matthew Miller after his death in August 2023. Miller was having three teeth extracted at Quereshy's surgical practice and was cleared to be put under general anesthesia, at least according to Quereshy. But court filings obtained by local CBS affiliate WOIO stated that Miller should have had clearance from a general physician.
According to WOIO, a hearing examiner has recommended that Quereshy's license to administer anesthesia be temporarily suspended.
After Miller's widow filed her lawsuit, the Ohio State Dental Board began its investigation into Quereshy and the Visage Surgical Institute. The Board informed Quereshy that it intended to suspend his medical license or revoke it.
At a hearing in October 2025, both sides presented evidence about what happened during Miller's routine procedure, which took place on Aug. 4, 2023. Law&Crime previously reported that according to the lawsuit, Miller was scheduled to have three teeth extracted, an outpatient procedure. Miller's wife and son waited in the waiting room while the surgery took place.
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.