Chicago:
The parents of an eight-year-old boy have sued a US hospital, alleging doctors pronounced their son dead though he was still alive, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday.
Doctors at a Chicago hospital allegedly refused to listen to desperate relatives who insisted he continued to move his eyes and body.
The lawsuit, filed this week, accuses Mercy Hospital and Medical Center of negligence and alleges that nearly five hours passed before staff agreed to perform a cardiac ultrasound, which showed Jaylen Dorsey's heart was beating, according to reports.
Jaylen, who suffers from severe brain damage, is bedridden and on a ventilator, was found unresponsive by his mother, Sheena Lane, on Feb 18. He was taken to Mercy Hospital and doctors there pronounced the boy dead.
So, family members began to plan a funeral for the boy. But when other relatives arrived at the hospital, they gasped when they saw Jaylen's eyes opening, the boy's father said.
The lawsuit says the family had to demand that medical staff conduct more tests and that a cardiac ultrasound finally showed the boy's heart was beating, according to the daily.
The hospital, which rejects the lawsuit's allegations, said in a written statement, "Despite extensive resuscitative efforts, Jaylen did not immediately regain a pulse and no heart activity was noted for several hours".
His parents are seeking $200,000 in damages. The lawsuit says they suffered hours of "severe emotional distress".