Family worries misdiagnosis led to mother’s death after visit to Winnipeg ER

CTV’s Joseph Bernacki has more from a Winnipeg family who says their mother was misdiagnosed at St. Boniface Hospital and believes it led to her death.

A Winnipeg family is in shock and looking for answers after they say their mother was misdiagnosed during a recent emergency room visit at St. Boniface Hospital.

They believe this eventually led to her death.

Judy Burns, 68, was brought to the St. Boniface Hospital in the early morning hours of Jan. 18 after she was found delirious, not responsive, and pale, according to her daughter Chelsea Mann.

She didn’t wait long to see a doctor, and she was first diagnosed with dehydration and diverticulosis.

However, Mann said something still wasn’t right, and they asked for their mom to receive an endoscopy right away.

“She wasn’t OK,” said Mann. “They told us multiple times, ‘Your mom is going to be fine. She’s going to be going home in 48 hours.’”

Still advocating for an endoscopy, Burns’ family stayed with her throughout the day, but that evening, Mann said, her mom had a stroke and went into cardiac arrest.

Burns was taken in for surgery, where a small ulcer was found in her small intestine. The surgery was quick, but Burns was placed in a medically induced coma.

“Our mom did survive the surgery, and we were told that, unfortunately, she was bleeding internally all day. I think if a scope would have happened sooner, our mom would still be here.”

Three days later, Burns died after her family made the hard decision to take her off life support.

Mann and her family believe the delay in treatment for her mom caused her to deteriorate.

“I left that hospital saying bye to her, thinking I would see her again, and by the time I got there at 8:30 at night, she was already on life support.”

Mann said her mom was the anchor in the family.

“Our mom was definitely our best friend for one. We spent every morning calling her, me and my son on FaceTime.”

Following her mom’s death, Mann said her family emailed the hospital the next day, detailing what happened. She said they heard back from the hospital that an internal investigation was being launched.

A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority confirmed the hospital is reviewing what happened.

“Medical leadership at St. Boniface Hospital is reviewing the circumstances to determine appropriate follow-up,” the spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara offered their condolences to the family and said a review is being done to determine if the incident meets the criteria for a critical incident.

“That determination is made carefully, based on evidence and established patient safety criteria, and is led by clinical and patient safety experts,” said Asagwara.