Inquest called into death of man at Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre

An inquest has been called into the death of Brian Sinclair, the 45-year-old man who died last September after waiting 34 hours in the emergency department of the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

An autopsy determined Sinclair died as a result of a bladder infection from a blocked catheter. Sinclair, a double amputee with a speech problem, was found dead in his wheelchair on Sept. 21.

His death could have been prevented if a blood infection, brought on by complications of a bladder infection and blocked catheter, had been treated sooner, the province's chief medical examiner said within days of the incident.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has said that it appears Sinclair was never assessed by a triage nurse and was not registered as a patient seeking care, so reassessment nurses didn't know he was there for help.

A date for the inquest has not been set.