The family of a University of Connecticut dental student who died in an intensive care unit monitored remotely by a “remote doctor” 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 accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Emergency room staff diagnosed him with alcohol-induced pancreatitis, dehydration and other related problems, according to a state Department of Public Health after-action report cited in the lawsuit.
Remote staffing of ICUs has become increasingly common in recent years as hospitals look for ways to reduce costs and fill vacancies. The model has expanded during the coronavirus pandemic despite concerns among medical staff that virtual care could be slower and less personalized, putting patients at risk.
Hylton was deemed “high risk” after an initial evaluation, but staffing issues prevented continued, consistent care during the 18 hours he was hospitalized, the lawsuit says.
His death was “a direct and proximate result of the negligence” of the hospital and its employees, the lawsuit says.
“The state DPH’s investigation found a level of incompetence in the Milford Hospital ICU that is beyond comprehension,” Joel T. Faxon, the family’s attorney, said in an emailed statement. “It’s alarming to think in a so-called critical care environment: Where are the doctors? Where are the nurses?”
“Yale New Haven Health is aware of this lawsuit and is committed to providing the safest and highest quality care possible, however, we cannot comment on pending litigation,” the hospital said in an emailed statement.
Connor Hilton. (Faxon Law Group via Hilton Family)
(Faxon Law Group via Hilton Family)
According to the state report, Hilton’s condition deteriorated rapidly 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. Symptoms worsened from the time he arrived at 11am on August 14 until his death the next morning.
The report found that staff at the scene failed to notify Hilton’s parents that he would be moved to the intensive care unit or to administer appropriate medication for his worsening alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The state’s report found that an on-site doctor did not visit Hilton once in the four hours after he was transferred to the intensive care unit. Instead, hospital staff were forced to communicate virtually with remote doctors, who ordered attending physicians to intubate Hylton after he “slipped off the bed, rolled his eyes, became unresponsive” and vomited black and brown material, indicating internal bleeding.
But the doctor on site reportedly got lost en route to Hilton’s bed, causing a 10-minute delay. He had to stop and ask the nurse for directions. According to reports, Hilton was pronounced dead less than two hours after being intubated.
Faxon’s office described Hilton in a statement as a “beloved son, fiancé, athlete and friend.”
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com
