The parents of a disabled boy are suing a Chicago hospital and two of its doctors, alleging the medical staff pronounced their son dead though he was still alive.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, Sheena Lane and Pink Dorsey, of the South Side, contend that doctors at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center ignored signs of life from their son, Jaylen, after declaring him dead. The suit charges that doctors didn’t properly investigate those signs, such as body twitching, in a timely manner and negligently provided inaccurate information to the parents.
Jaylen, 8, was found unresponsive in his home and rushed to Mercy on Feb. 18, according to the suit. Before the incident, he was bedridden, had a feeding tube and was on a ventilator, said an attorney for the parents, Michael Cox.
After Jaylen was pronounced dead at 9:52 a.m., relatives told the hospital’s staff that he continued to twitch his eyes, move his body and flare his nose, the suit states.
“Of course, to exacerbate matters, they kept denying the parents’ request and inquiries as to, ‘Why are we seeing signs of him still alive?'” Cox said. “The doctors …were basically just pooh-poohing it.”
Almost five hours later, at 2:35 p.m., a cardiac ultrasound was performed on Jaylen, whose heart was still beating, according to the suit.
In a statement, Mercy said Jaylen suffered full cardiac arrest for more than 25 minutes before he arrived. Doctors treated Jaylen for “an extended period of time” before declaring him dead, the statement said.
“While this is a very rare occurrence, extensive resuscitation efforts, medication and young age can result in a patient’s heart function returning spontaneously,” the hospital said. “We hope for continued strength for Jaylen.”
Jaylen was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital once doctors found his pulse. His parents are seeking $200,000 in damages after suffering emotional distress and mental pain from the ordeal, according to the suit.
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