MILFORD, CONNECTICUT — The family of Conor Hylton, a University of Connecticut dental student who died in an intensive care unit overseen remotely by a teledoctor, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit last month accusing Bridgeport Hospital's Milford, Connecticut, campus of negligence. The lawsuit alleges that staffing issues prevented constant and consistent care for Hylton during the 18 hours he was hospitalized.

Hylton arrived at the emergency room at the Milford campus at 11 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2024, after experiencing severe abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting, according to an after-action report by the Connecticut Public Health Department. Emergency room staff diagnosed him with alcohol-induced pancreatitis, dehydration and other related issues. He had an elevated heart rate, dangerously low blood pressure and showed signs of alcohol withdrawal, and he was considered high risk after his initial assessment, the report stated.

Hylton's condition declined quickly after he arrived at the emergency room, according to the state report. On-site staff members did not notify his parents that he was being transferred to the ICU. An on-site doctor did not visit Hylton in the four hours after his transfer, and staff members failed to administer the appropriate medication for his worsening alcohol withdrawal, the report found.

Hospital staff members consulted virtually with a remote doctor after Hylton was transferred to the ICU, according to the report. The remote doctor ordered an attending doctor to intubate Hylton. During his final hours, Hylton slid down his bed, his eyes rolled back and he became unresponsive. He vomited dark and brown matter, which indicates internal bleeding, the report stated.

The on-site doctor was delayed 10 minutes after getting lost on his way to Hylton's bed and stopped to ask a nurse for directions, according to the report. Hylton was pronounced dead less than two hours after he was intubated, the morning after his arrival.

The complaint stated that Hylton's death was a direct and proximate result of the negligence of the hospital and its employees. Lawyer Joel T. Faxon, representing the family, said in an emailed statement: "The state DPH investigation uncovered an incomprehensible level of incompetence at Milford Hospital ICU." He added: "It's alarming to think in a supposedly intensive care setting: Where is the doctor? Where are the nurses?"

Yale New Haven Health, which operates the hospital, said in an emailed statement: "Yale 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." The Faxon Law Group described Hylton in a statement as a beloved son, fiancé, athlete and friend.

ICU remote staffing expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic and has become more common in recent years as hospitals look for ways to reduce costs and backfill positions, according to industry accounts.