Vivian Ramsey Boswell has filed a compelling lawsuit alleging medical negligence against a prominent doctor and his associated medical practice. On February 5, 2025, Boswell lodged her complaint in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, targeting Dr. Ashraf Fouad Abdel Hanna and Spinecare Associates, LLC, operating as Florida Spine Institute.

The case revolves around Boswell’s treatment for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Adhesive Arachnoiditis at the Florida Spine Institute starting in April 2022. Under Dr. Hanna’s supervision, she underwent a series of ketamine infusions beginning June 6, 2022. The plaintiff claims that after several days of treatment, she experienced severe fatigue and was unable to consume food or fluids adequately. By June 16, her condition had deteriorated significantly; she was lethargic and uncommunicative when arriving for her scheduled infusion.

Dr. Hanna assessed Boswell on June 16 but chose not to administer ketamine that day due to her condition. The following day, despite reporting continued difficulty with food and fluid intake and presenting with low blood pressure (79/50), she was given ephedrine instead of being directly admitted to a hospital for severe dehydration. Later that day, Boswell’s brother called an ambulance as her condition worsened; she was taken to Morton Plant Hospital where she was diagnosed with severe sepsis, acute renal failure, acute hepatitis among other serious conditions.