The family of Conor Hylton, a University of Connecticut dental student, who died at Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus in August 2024, is now suing the hospital, accusing it of negligence in a wrongful death lawsuit filed last month, CNN reported.
Hylton, who was 26, died in an intensive care unit, which was overseen by a “teledoctor” remotely. He was admitted to the hospital after experiencing severe abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. The emergency room staff diagnosed him with alcohol-induced pancreatitis, dehydration, and other related issues, the report noted, citing an after-action report by the state Public Health Department mentioned in the .
What happened to Conor Hylton?
On 14 August 2024, the 26-year-old went to the Milford Campus emergency room after complaining of intense stomach pain. He’d been vomiting for days and couldn’t even keep liquids down, CNN reported. The diagnosis included dehydration, alcohol withdrawal, and pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, according to medical records cited in the lawsuit.
Hylton’s blood pressure dropped, and his heart raced, following which he became agitated and restless, and his mental condition declined, which prompted a transfer to the ICU at 12:38 AM.
During the overnight shift, the hospital used a tele-ICU service, meaning there was no ICU intensivist – a board-certified physician with specialised training in critical care medicine – on-site, according to an analysis included with the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further mentioned that despite a hospitalist being on-site, a doctor who specialises in internal medicine or family medicine and works within a hospital to manage the care of inpatients didn’t see Hylton.
Around 4:30 AM, Hylton had “slid down in bed, his eyes rolled back,” and he turned unresponsive, with seizure-like activity. While he received a tube to help him breathe, he eventually went into cardiac arrest.
What did the lawsuit allege?
Hylton’s family, in its , claimed that the hospital did not tell his family about their son’s condition and that he was transferred to the ICU without an on-site doctor. The family’s lawyer noted that had they been informed, they would have sought a transfer to the Yale or Bridgeport hospitals, a short drive away.
It also argued that the hospital was “inattentive” and “provided substandard care” that resulted in his death. His death was also pronounced by the telehealth provider.
The lawsuit said that it “seeks justice for Conor James Hylton and to dismantle the culture of substandard care and inattention that caused Conor to die so young.”
Joel Faxon, the family’s lawyer, said, “You wouldn’t for a minute expect that you would have a telehealth physician in the intensive care unit. You can’t provide the care through a video system. You know, it doesn’t have arms that reach out and do things to you. And nobody knew this.”
What did the government investigation reveal?
A government investigation cited in the lawsuit found that Hylton’s intubation was delayed, partly due to the absence of a physician on site. When an emergency room doctor was eventually called to assist, he was unfamiliar with the location of the ICU and had to ask a nurse for directions, leading to an additional 10-minute delay.
The investigation records also highlight “extremely poor communication” and a lack of any formal handoff between providers. While multiple CIWA assessments, a bedside tool used to evaluate and manage alcohol withdrawal, were carried out before Hylton was transferred to the ICU, none were performed after his admission. As a result, there were no documented assessments of pain levels or changes in mental status during his time in intensive care.
The investigation also indicated that a complaint survey, which was completed on 19 May 2025, discovered that the hospital was not in substantial compliance with the requirements of the law regarding the standards of patient care.
Increase in ICU telehealth patients
A 2018 study from an American Hospital Association survey revealed that over 25% of surveyed hospital ICUs used telemedicine, with experts suggesting the number probably grew during the Coronavirus pandemic.
