A TODDLER was found alive inside a hospital morgue hours after being declared dead by a doctor following a devastating pool tragedy.

The 18-month-old boy was pulled face down from his family‘s swimming pool in Gilbert, Arizona, on February 8 as relatives gathered to watch the NFL Super Bowl.
Emergency crews raced to the scene shortly after 5.20pm before rushing the youngster to Mercy Gilbert Medical Centre in a desperate bid to save him.

Less than an hour later, doctors pronounced the child dead.

But the case took an extraordinary twist when the boy was discovered to be still breathing after being placed inside the hospital’s refrigerated holding area.

The youngster was immediately airlifted to another hospital for emergency treatment and has since been discharged.
Now the astonishing six-hour ordeal – and the circumstances surrounding the near-drowning of 18-month-old Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino – are under investigation by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

A police report claims officers inside the hospital questioned the decision to declare the boy dead after believing they had detected signs of life.

According to investigators, they raised their concerns with the attending physician, Dr Aryan Toosi, who allegedly dismissed them.

The report states that Dr Toosi told officers: “Please do your thing and let me do my thing.”
He added: “I went to medical school for a reason.”

Body camera footage obtained by an NBC News affiliate appears to capture the moment the doctor declared the child dead.

Dr Toosi apparently said: “If there’s no objections, I’d like to call time of death.

“Time of death 18.20. Moment of silence.”

According to the police report, the doctor had earlier stepped out to break the devastating news to the boy’s parents before returning to the emergency room.

The report says officers and the child’s parents believed the toddler was still gasping for air even after he had been pronounced dead.

At around 7.18pm, a detective reported hearing “another audible gasp” as hospital staff prepared to move the child from the trauma room into the refrigerated holding area.
Around five hours after the boy was pronounced dead, a transporter from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office arrived to collect his body.

Instead, the toddler was discovered to still be breathing.

He was rushed by air ambulance to another hospital, where he received emergency treatment before later being discharged.

The investigation has also turned to the terrifying moments before the near-drowning.

The Gilbert Police Department said it has recommended that the boy’s parents face child abuse charges.

According to a police report obtained by NBC affiliate KPNX, investigators believe the parents may not have realised their son had wandered to the pool while the Super Bowl was on.

Investigators claim this was because of “the potential of both parents’ state of mind being impaired by marijuana and/or other mind altering substances.
A spokesperson for the county attorney declined to comment on the case.

Meanwhile, Mercy Gilbert Medical Centre confirmed it carried out an internal investigation into what it described as “a heartbreaking situation”.

The hospital said it conducted “a thorough review of all aspects of the care provided to learn what happened and to make meaningful changes to strengthen our care”.

In a separate statement, the hospital described the incident as “a heartbreaking situation” but declined to provide any further details.

The hospital also declined to answer questions from NBC News about whether the doctor who pronounced the child dead remains on staff.

Dr Toosi’s lawyer, Scott Holden, defended his client but said he could not comment fully while investigations continue.

In a statement, Holden said: “Because of this, as well as patient confidentiality, we are unable to make a full statement at this time other than to assure you that there is much more to this case, both factually and medically, than has been reported thus far.”
Vincent is not named in the police report, but his family has launched a crowdfunding page to help cover mounting medical costs.

According to the fundraising page, the toddler is breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

He has avoided serious brain damage, but will require ongoing medical monitoring and extensive therapy.
source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/39695768/toddler-morgue-alive-after-drowning-declared-dead/