American hospital declares toddler dead, then finds him breathing five hours later in morgue

A police report from Arizona has raised serious questions about medical negligence at a Phoenix-area hospital after staff declared an 18-month-old boy dead following a drowning incident in February. According to the incident report, the child was pronounced deceased by a physician despite police officers at the scene expressing concerns that they had detected signs of life. When officers questioned the doctor’s assessment, he allegedly responded dismissively, saying: “I’m the doctor, let me do my job.”

The shocking discovery came more than five hours after the child had been officially pronounced dead and placed in the hospital’s morgue. Staff found the toddler still breathing when they checked on him, indicating he had been alive throughout his time in the cold storage facility. The child is now reported to be suffering from severe brain damage as a result of the incident and will require lifelong medical care.

The case has raised alarm about decision-making protocols in emergency medicine and the importance of properly investigating signs of life before declaring a patient deceased. The incident is being scrutinised by authorities investigating potential medical malpractice at the hospital. The family’s legal representatives are expected to pursue action against the medical facility over the critical failure in patient care that left the child with permanent, severe injuries.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.