Woman endured 'excruciating pain' during procedure at St. Boniface hospital, lawsuit alleges

A Manitoba woman is suing St. Boniface Hospital and two staff after undergoing a medical procedure that she says left her screaming out in pain, without appropriate use of pain control and anesthetic.

The patient went to the emergency department at the hospital on Dec. 24, 2022, due to swelling, pain and a cyst in her vaginal area, according to a statement of claim filed last month in Manitoba Court of King's Bench.

The problem was recurrent and had been treated operatively on two prior occasions in 2022, including on Dec. 5 of that year, the lawsuit says. She'd also gone to the St. Boniface ER on Dec. 10 for increased pain after the Dec. 5 procedure, according to the suit.

When she went back on Dec. 24, the on-call obstetrics and gynecology physician at St. Boniface Hospital confirmed the patient had a Bartholin's abscess — a painful, swollen lump that happens on the side of the vaginal wall opening when the gland becomes obstructed and infected. 

The gynecologist told her that his recommendation for immediate treatment was to perform an incision and drain the abscess.

The gynecologist, working with a medical resident at the hospital, gave the patient intravenous fentanyl in preparation for the procedure, but the fentanyl had no effect on her pain levels, the lawsuit says.

The medical resident then proceeded to inject local anesthetic into the abscess area, according to the statement of claim.

That process "was extremely painful and caused her to call out in pain on several occasions," it says.

The suit alleges that although neither the intravenous fentanyl nor the local anesthetic successfully reduced the woman's pain or sensation, the doctors proceeded with making an incision in her infected area.

Screamed out in pain: suit

The patient "experienced excruciating pain" and called out to the doctors "that she could feel everything and that the pain was too much," the lawsuit says.

She "continued to scream out in pain and was visibly crying throughout the procedure," it says.

The doctors attempted to place a small catheter into the incision for drainage, but were unable to do that, so that part of the procedure was abandoned, the suit says.

The patient alleges the treatment she received was unsuccessful and her abscess returned the following day.

She returned to the emergency department at St. Boniface Hospital three days after that and was seen by a different doctor, who performed surgery under procedural sedation and spinal anesthetic. 

Despite the medical care, she developed severe neuropathic pain in her pelvic region and in the area where she had the procedure, the claim says.

Her neuropathic pain was never resolved, leaving her unable to return to her work as a nurse, it says.

The woman "was forced to endure an extremely personal and invasive gynecological procedure in the emergency department of St. Boniface, that did not adequately address … [her] history, condition or symptoms, and without adequate pain control," the court document says.

She alleges the gynecologist and medical resident were negligent and breached their duty of care to her.

She's seeking general damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress, as well as special damages, including loss of past and future income.

The defendants have not yet filed statements of defence.

In an email to CBC News, St. Boniface Hospital spokesperson Paul Turenne said the hospital declines to comment given that the matter is before the courts.