Family of young ICU patient who died while in the care of a ‘teledoctor’ sues hospital

The family of a University of Connecticut dental student who died in his final hours in an intensive care unit supervised remotely by a “teledoctor” has accused the hospital of negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit filed last month.

Conor Hylton, 26, was admitted to Bridgeport Hospital’s Milford campus in August 2024 after experiencing severe abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. Emergency room staff diagnosed him with alcohol-induced pancreatitis, dehydration and other related problems, according to the state Department of Public Health after-action report cited in the lawsuit.

It has become more common in recent years as hospitals look for ways to remotely staff intensive care units. reduce costs And filling positions. The model expanded during the Covid outbreak concerns of healthcare professionals Those who worry that virtual care could be slower and less personal, putting patients at risk.

The lawsuit alleges that Hylton was deemed “high risk” after his initial evaluation, but staffing issues prevented sustained and consistent care for the 18 hours he was hospitalized, according to the report.

His death was the result of the “direct and proximate negligence” of the hospital and its employees, the complaint said.

“The state DPH investigation revealed incomprehensible levels of incompetence in the Milford Hospital Intensive Care Unit,” the family’s attorney, Joel T. Faxon, said in an emailed statement. “In the so-called intensive care setting, it’s worrying to think: Where is the doctor? Where are the nurses?”

“Yale New Haven Health is aware of this litigation and is committed to providing the safest and highest quality care possible, but we cannot comment on pending litigation,” the hospital said in an emailed statement.

According to the state report, Hylton’s condition rapidly deteriorated after arriving at the emergency room. His heart rate was elevated, his blood pressure was dangerously low, and he was showing signs of alcohol withdrawal. The symptoms worsened from his arrival at 11 a.m. on August 14 until his death the next morning.

The report found that facility staff failed to notify Hylton’s parents that he had been transferred to the intensive care unit and did not provide appropriate medication for his worsening alcohol withdrawal.

According to the state report, an on-site doctor did not visit Hylton once in the four hours after he was transferred to the intensive care unit. Instead, hospital staff had to meet virtually with a remote doctor, who ordered the attending physician to intubate Hylton after she “slid down from her bed, her eyes rolled back, and she became unresponsive” and vomited dark, brown material indicating internal bleeding.

However, according to the report, the doctor at the scene got lost on the way to Hylton’s bed and was 10 minutes late. He had to stop and ask a nurse for directions. Hylton was pronounced dead less than two hours after being intubated, the report said.

In a statement, Faxon’s office described Hylton as a “beloved son, fiancee, athlete and friend.”

This article was first published on: NBCNews.com