A triage nurse at an Edmonton emergency room described the chaotic and overcrowded environment on the day a man passed away after an approximately eight-hour wait to see a doctor. Prashant Sreekumar, 44, died at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital on December 22, 2025, due to chest pain. The fatality inquiry into his death is being presided over by Justice Randal Brandt at the Edmonton Court of Justice.
Celina Lee, a registered nurse working as a triage support nurse that evening, painted a picture of pandemonium during her testimony at the inquiry. She recounted multiple emergency codes being called and the high stress level of the shift, with one colleague describing it as the worst in their 18 years of experience. Lee also mentioned having to involve protective services due to a verbally aggressive patient interaction.
The noisy ER environment was highlighted by Lee, who mentioned a patient having difficulty hearing her during a conversation. When she reassessed Sreekumar, who was seeking help for chest pain, the interaction was brief and challenging, leading to an incomplete assessment.
Rachel Vos, another registered nurse, testified that she responded to Sreekumar collapsing and initiated emergency procedures. Vos stressed the need for additional nursing staff in the hallway area, considering it a care space. She expressed concerns about the lack of available care spaces and the overwhelming nature of the healthcare system.
Emergency physician Dr. Miles Shang detailed the resuscitation efforts for Sreekumar, who unfortunately succumbed to a blood accumulation around the heart caused by an aortic dissection. Shang emphasized the challenges in diagnosing this condition due to its varied symptoms. He criticized the lengthy wait times at the ER, attributing them to a shortage of care spaces and bottlenecks in patient flow.
Changes to the hospital’s chest pain protocol were discussed by Nick Beil, the ER program manager, following Sreekumar’s death. The updated protocol now includes specific warning signs for aortic dissection, aiming to facilitate quicker identification of critical conditions during triage. Beil acknowledged the difficulties in timely patient reassessments in crowded waiting rooms.
The fatality inquiry, which began in response to Sreekumar’s death, has led to a list of recommendations from Acute Care Alberta. The inquiry is set to conclude on Friday, shedding light on the challenges faced by the healthcare system and the need for improvements in emergency care protocols.
