The mother of an 18-month-old boy who was found breathing in a hospital morgue hours after being declared dead has said there is 'no happy ending' to their story.
Alexus Fiordilino's son, Vincent, was found floating face down in the family swimming pool in Gilbert, Arizona, on February 8. Alexus and her husband, Angelo, performed lifesaving measures before he was rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
Roughly one hour after he arrived, emergency room doctor Aryan Toosi pronounced Vincent dead. Speaking to ABC 15, Alexus recalled: 'When I got to the hospital, I thought, "okay", these people are going to help me.' She said she was told: 'I had to say goodbye. Do you know how hard that is?'
Found alive in the morgue
More than five hours after Vincent was declared dead, medical examiner staff arriving to transport his body found him alive in the hospital morgue. 'He ended up in the morgue,' Alexus said. 'He was alone.'
After being transferred by ambulance to Phoenix Children's Hospital, an MRI confirmed that Vincent had suffered extensive brain damage and will need lifelong care.
Alexus said Dr Toosi told her shortly after Vincent arrived that his blood was too acidic and even if he could be revived, he would not have a good quality of life. 'He came back, like maybe not even five, 10 minutes later and he's like, "Yeah, so his pH levels are too high. They're too acidic. So even if we are to bring him back, it wouldn't be a good form of life. He'd be suffering. So I think it's best that I call the time for it,"' she explained.
Police report raises questions
According to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail, an officer said he heard a nurse saying 'I have a pulse' before hospital staffers attempted 'to revive Vincent'. The officer stated that Toosi 'arrogantly told me he was the doctor, he has a medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing'.
Dr Toosi then told staff to stop CPR and other lifesaving measures, before saying: 'As long as there are no objections, I'd like to call time of death.' Vincent's time of death was declared at 6.20pm, and Alexus and Angelo were told to say goodbye six minutes later. A female officer later reported hearing what appeared to be another gasp as Vincent was moved to the morgue.
Medical records have raised questions about the timing of a blood gas test used to support the doctor's decision. The family's lawyer, John Brewer, said Dr Toosi cited Vincent's blood gas results when explaining his decision. Records indicate the doctor called the time of death at 6.20pm, but the test results were not received until 6.38pm, 18 minutes later. The documents also state that the doctor did not take Vincent's core body temperature or carry out warming measures, partly because of the blood gas test.
Family questions decisions
Alexus said: 'He was alone. He was alone for five-and-a-half hours. How do you do that to a baby?' She also shared a photograph of Vincent in a wheelchair during physical therapy, describing the lasting impact. 'But it, like, doesn't end,' she said. 'There's no, like, happy ending.'
Dignity Health, which operates the hospital, described the situation as 'heartbreaking' in a statement to ABC 15. 'Out of respect for the patient's privacy, we cannot share any information and we are unable to comment on those involved in patient care,' a spokesperson said.
Dr Toosi's lawyer, Scott Holden, told the Daily Mail that his client's thoughts were with Vincent and his family. 'His commitment to delivering high-quality care has always been rooted in a desire to provide healing, safety and comfort to his community,' the lawyer said. 'Due to pending litigation and patient privacy laws, we cannot speak to the details of the care provided at this time.'
Sergeant Jordan Truckenbrod, of the Gilbert Police Department, said the investigation had not established probable cause for criminal conduct. The case is now being referred to the Arizona Attorney General's Office for review, although police said there was no estimated timeline for its conclusion.
