Dental student’s death in ICU without on-site doctor sparks lawsuit

In Connecticut, a 26-year-old dental student passed away in an intensive care unit managed by a remote "tele-health" doctor, who declared him deceased via a video screen after allegedly failing to properly communicate his medical issues, according to a legal complaint.

Conor Hylton's family is taking legal action against Yale New Haven Health, which runs the Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus where their son died in 2024, and Northeast Medical Group, also part of Yale New Haven Health, for what they claim was negligence that resulted in his death.

The family’s legal claim, obtained by Law&Crime, states that the ICU and its staff "breached hospital policy as no on-site physician evaluated Mr. Hylton from the time he entered the ICU until he showed signs of seizure activity."

The legal document claims Hylton was taken to the emergency department on August 14, 2024, and was "admitted afterward" to the hospital with conditions like pancreatitis, dehydration, metabolic acidosis, and alcohol withdrawal.

"Mr. Hylton's condition worsened, leading to his transfer to the ICU where his condition continued to change and deteriorate throughout the night and early morning of August 15, 2024, including mental status changes, restlessness, and agitation despite being administered Precedex," the complaint states.

Inside the ICU, it's alleged that the hospital utilised a "tele-ICU" service, with the complaint pointing out the absence of "ICU intensivists" at the moment.

"Instead, the assigned hospitalist in this scenario … never assessed the patient," the complaint asserts. "Records indicate that the ICU nurse was merely contacting the tele-ICU service for sedation instructions as Mr. Hylton's condition deteriorated in the ICU. Despite orders, there were no CIWA assessments, no monitoring of intake/output, and no physician evaluations for pain and/or changes in mental state, even though the nurse's non-contemporaneous note mentioned changes in mental status in a patient already diagnosed with alcohol withdrawal and a history of alcohol withdrawal seizures, for which he had previously been treated with Keppra."

Admitted around 11am, Hylton became unresponsive early the next day at approximately 4:30am, according to the legal document.

"Mr. Hylton slipped in bed, his eyes rolled back, and he … displayed seizure-like symptoms, vomited, experienced a slowed heart rate, and a code was initiated," the complaint alleges. "He was intubated, but resuscitation was unsuccessful, leading to his pronouncement of death."

According to Hylton's family, the pronouncement of death was carried out by a 'tele-health' provider via video. 

Additionally, the family claims they weren’t informed about his declining health or what was occurring.

The family’s attorney, Joel Faxon, informed CT Insider that Hylton was treated at what he referred to as a "fake ICU," according to the local news outlet.