The family of a University of Connecticut dental student who died in an intensive care unit overseen remotely by a \u201cteledoctor\u201d in his final hours has accused the hospital of negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit filed last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conor Hylton, 26, was admitted to Bridgeport Hospital\u2019s Milford campus in August 2024 after experiencing severe abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. Emergency room staff members diagnosed him with alcohol-induced pancreatitis, dehydration and other related issues, according to an after-action report by the state Public Health Department that is cited in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ICU remote staffing has become more common in recent years as hospitals look for ways to reduce costs and backfill positions. The model expanded during the Covid pandemic, despite concerns from medical workers who worry that virtual care could be slower and less personal, which puts patients at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hylton was considered \u201chigh risk\u201d after his initial assessment, according to the report, yet staffing issues prevented constant and consistent care in the 18 hours he was hospitalized, the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His death was a \u201cdirect and proximate result of the negligence\u201d of the hospital and its employees, the complaint said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe state DPH investigation uncovered an incomprehensible level of incompetence at Milford Hospital ICU,\u201d the family\u2019s lawyer Joel T. Faxon said in an emailed statement. \u201cIt\u2019s alarming to think in a supposedly intensive care setting: Where is the doctor? Where are the nurses?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hospital said in an emailed statement, \u201cYale New Haven Health is aware of this lawsuit and is committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care possible, however, we are unable to comment on pending litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the state\u2019s report, Hylton\u2019s condition quickly declined after he arrived at the emergency room. His heart rate was elevated, his blood pressure was dangerously low, and he showed signs of alcohol withdrawal. The symptoms only worsened from his arrival at 11 a.m. Aug. 14 to his death the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On-site staff members did not notify Hylton\u2019s parents that he was being transferred to the ICU and failed to administer the appropriate medication for his worsening alcohol withdrawal, the report found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An on-site doctor did not visit Hylton once in the four hours after he was transferred to the ICU, the state\u2019s report found. Instead, hospital staff members were forced to virtually confer with a remote doctor, who ordered an attending doctor to intubate Hylton after he \u201cslid down his bed, his eyes rolled back and he became unresponsive\u201d and vomited dark and brown matter, which indicates internal bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the on-site doctor got lost on his way to Hylton\u2019s bed and was delayed 10 minutes, according to the report. He had to stop and ask a nurse for directions. Hylton was pronounced dead less than two hours after he was intubated, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faxon\u2019s office described Hylton in a statement as a \u201cbeloved son, fiance, athlete and friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n