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 monitored remotely by a “teledoctor”. He was admitted to the hospital after severe abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. Emergency room staff diagnosed him with alcohol-induced pancreatitis, dehydration and other related problems, the report said, citing a state Office of Public Health report cited in the lawsuit.
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What happened to Conor Hylton?
On August 14, 2024, a 26-year-old man went to the Milford Campus emergency room after complaining of intense stomach pain. He vomited 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, after which he became agitated and restless, and his mental status deteriorated, leading to a transfer to the ICU at 0:38.
During the night shift, the hospital used a tele-ICU service, meaning there was no ICU intensivist — a board-certified physician with specialized training in critical care medicine — on site, according to an analysis included in the lawsuit.
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The lawsuit further mentioned that although a hospitalist, a doctor who specializes in internal medicine or family medicine and works at the hospital to manage inpatient care, was on the scene, Hylton was not seen.
Around 4:30 a.m., Hylton “slipped into bed, his eyes rolled back” and became unresponsive with seizure-like activity. While receiving a tube to help him breathe, he eventually went into cardiac arrest.
What did the lawsuit claim?
Hylton’s family claimed in their lawsuit that the hospital did not tell his family about their son’s condition and that he was taken to the ICU without a doctor on site. The family’s attorney noted that if they had been notified, they would have sought transport to Yale or Bridgeport hospitals, which are a short distance away.
It also alleged that the hospital was “negligent” and “provided substandard care” which resulted in his death. His death was also announced by a telehealth provider.
The lawsuit said it “seeks justice for Conor James Hylton and to break the culture of inferior care and neglect that caused Conor to die so young”.
Joel Faxon, the family’s attorney, said, “You wouldn’t expect for a minute to have a telehealth doctor in the intensive care unit. You can’t provide care over a video system. You know, he doesn’t have hands that reach out and do things to you. And nobody knew.”
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What did the government investigation reveal?
A government investigation cited in the lawsuit found that Hylton’s intubation was delayed, in part due to the absence of a doctor on the scene. When the ER doctor was finally called to help, he didn’t know the location of the ICU and had to ask the nurse for directions, resulting in another 10-minute delay.
The investigation records also highlight “extremely poor communication” and a lack of any formal handover between providers. While several CIWA assessments, a bedside tool used to assess and manage withdrawal symptoms, were performed prior to Hylton’s transfer 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 stay in the intensive care unit.
The investigation further revealed that a complaint investigation, which was completed on May 19, 2025, found the hospital to be in substantial non-compliance with the law’s requirements for standards of patient care.
Increasing the number of telehealth patients in the ICU
A 2018 study by the American Hospital Association found that more than 25% of hospital ICUs surveyed were using telemedicine, with experts suggesting that number likely increased during the coronavirus pandemic.
