An 18-month-old boy was pronounced dead at a hospital in Gilbert, Arizona, back in February, after he was found face down in a pool at a Super Bowl party. About five hours later, hospital staff found Vincent Fiordilino alive in the morgue. This week, nearly eight months after that day, his mother Alexus is telling her story publicly for the first time, saying she thought she had lost her baby, and then he was back. The family’s attorney says documents show a doctor ordered then canceled an arterial blood gas test that would have revealed Vincent’s oxygen levels, and that lab results arrived at 6:38 p.m., 18 minutes after Vincent was declared dead at 6:20 p.m.
Gilbert Police have asked the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to review the case for possible felony child abuse charges against the doctor. The family plans to file a complaint against the hospital and the doctor next week. Vincent now requires lifelong care, according to the family and their attorney. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center has not issued a public response included in the reporting so far.
For Suncoast families, the story raises questions that hit home in a region where pools are everywhere, kids swim nearly year-round, and hospital emergency rooms serve retirees and young families alike. Whether you are a snowbird with grandkids visiting or a parent watching your own child wade into a community pool, the trust we put in medical institutions in a crisis is the thread running through this story. What would you want a hospital to do differently if your loved one were in that position? Sound off in the comments below.
