The parents of an Arizona toddler declared dead, but found alive in a morgue five hours later blame his “negligent” doctor for leaving him with lifelong, severe brain damage.
Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was discovered floating face down in a backyard swimming pool during a Super Bowl party in Gilbert on February 8 and rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
The two-year-old was mistakenly pronounced dead by Dr Aryan Toosi just 18 minutes after arriving, police body cam fotoage recorded. He was the sent to a morgue where a medical transport worker discovered he was alive and moving under a thick white sheet.
Now Alexus and Angelo Fiordilino have hit out at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center staff for convincing them their son was dead and dismissing multiple concerns that he was still breathing.
“I can’t believe Vincent was all alone in there,” the distraught mother told The Post. “It haunts me still to this day when I think about it. I hate that he went through five hours in a morgue by himself, struggling to breathe.
“If there was a competent doctor in the room that day, it would have gone very differently. Our boy was neglected medical treatment that would have significantly changed the outlook of his life.”
Panic ensued at the Fiordilino’s party when Vincent was found drowning and foaming at the mouth.
Alexus and her husband took turns to perform lifesaving measures after calling emergency services and the toddler was rushed to hospital within minutes.
“It was a lot of panic, my heart dropped into my stomach,” she told The Post. “Angelo rushed over and jumped in the pool to get him out and we did CPR. We were desperate to save him.”
Emergency services quickly arrived and took over resuscitation efforts. “I begged anyone who would listen to save Vincent and once he got in the ambulance I felt a little relief because they would be able to do more there.
“I had full belief that they would save him and had hope to hold him again. I thought they would do everything they could do and he was in safe hands.”
But just minutes after arriving, Dr Toosi allegedly informed Alexus and Angelo that it would be best for him to call a time of death to stop Vincent suffering, according to the heartbroken mother.
“I remember the way he sat down because it felt very nonchalant and blasé,” Alexus claimed to The Post. “He was almost laying back in his chair. Dr Toosi told us that the pH levels in Vincent’s blood was too high and too acidic for functioning life.
“He said ‘he would be suffering so I think it’s best if I call it [his death].’ That broke my heart to hear, so we decided to stop.
“I didn’t want him to suffer, so I looked at my husband and we made the decision that if he was in pain, it was probably best to let him go.”
While saying their goodbyes, three different family members heard Vincent breathing as they hugged him tight. But the medical staff allegedly told them “it’s normal that it’s going to sound like that”.
“I went to hug Vincent and I was talking in his ear begging him to come back, and when I did a lot of air came out,” Alexus added. “My husband did the same thing and said this isn’t normal but they told us it was.
“At this point we were grieving and I trusted the doctors to know what they were talking about.”
Documents show the Fiordilinos, nurses, and officers all observed signs of life and expressed concern, according to a report in www.azfamily.com
While Dr. Toosi was comforting the parents in another room, a nurse told a police officer “I have a pulse” as emergency workers rushed to help her revive the child,” a police report notes.
But when a cop went to tell the doctor, he was allegedly dismissive. “Toosi arrogantly told [Officer Martin] he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing,” according to the police report, obtained by The Post.
Dr Toosi then walked back into the emergency room and told staff to stop CPR on the child, calling Vincent’s time of death at 6.20pm. Audio of that was recorded on police bodycam and authorities later said the doctor who was speaking was Toosi.
Alexus and Angelo were given time to say goodbye to their baby boy.
“I felt I was being robbed of Vincent too soon and he deserved more than what was happening to him. I wasn’t ready for him to be gone,” she told The Post.
The grieving parents went home feeling heartbroken and numb before they were asked to go to the local police station to answer questions.
Nearly six hours after their son was declared dead, a “detective suddenly came in and stated he had ‘good news.’” Vincent was found alive in the morgue.
“Me and my husband were so relieved he was alive. We had some hope and something to cling on to,” she said. “We thanked god and begged him to keep it that way.”
A medical transport worker, tasked with collecting Vincent’s 26lb body, was escorted into the cold room with a security guard.
Underneath the thick white sheet, he saw the toddler moving his arms and legs vigorously. “He says ‘that child’s alive’ but the security guard with him claims the doctor says that’s normal,” attorney John Brewer, who is representing the Fiordilino family, told The Post.
Vincent was lying on his back and his intubation tube was dislodged and filled with fluid while his nose was covered in mucus.
“He said Vincent was gasping for air and was in utter shock how he could survive for close to six hours,” Brewer added.
The child was immediately rushed to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where he was hooked up to a ventilator and fighting for his life.
“They weren’t sure of the severity of the brain injury at the time and wouldn’t be able to find out for a few days due to brain swelling,” Alexus said.
“His kidneys were failing and his liver was in shock, so we were told to wait with ‘cautious hope’.”
Vincent’s kidneys and liver returned to normal function but MRI results showed that he suffered significant brain damage after being starved from oxygen for so long and he would need lifelong care.
“There’s no happy ending,” Alexus said. “If the doctor didn’t let his ego get in the way of doing his job, he would have listened to other people and Vincent would be okay.”
In a statement, Dr Toosi’s attorney Scott Holden told The Post: “Dr. Toosi’s thoughts are with the young patient and family, and he wishes the child continued healing and recovery.
“His commitment to delivering high-quality care has always been rooted in a desire to provide healing, safety and comfort to his community. Due to pending litigation and patient privacy laws, we cannot speak to the details of the care provided at this time.”
She and her husband are planning to file a lawsuit against the hospital and the doctor.
“These parents were faced with the ultimate horrific decision of letting their child die or not based on false information,” their attorney Brewer told The Post.
“We believe that Dr Toosi’s actions directly caused this severe brain injury and not only that we are suing the hospital because of the nurses’ failure to say something. He showed extremely gross negligence and conscious disregard for human life.”
He slammed the hospital for still allowing Dr Toosi to practice medicine after what happened to Vincent and claimed “they are trying to brush this under the carpet”.
Brewer added: “Vincent needs tremendous care for the rest of his life and the mere fact that he survived nearly six hours without medical care shows that he was a viable patient.
“There needs to be accountability. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center needs to recognize the errors of their way and recognize what happened.”
A spokesman for Mercy Gilbert Medical Center said: “This is a heartbreaking situation. 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. Patient safety and exceptional care are our highest priorities.”