Connecticut hospital accused of running ‘fake’ telehealth ICU that led to man’s death

A family in Connecticut is suing Yale New Haven Health, alleging that one of its hospitals was operating an intensive care unit where no onsite doctor monitored patients. Instead, the physician attending to 26-year-old Conor Hylton beamed in via telehealth, issuing medical orders remotely.

Hylton, a dental student, died on Aug. 15, 2024, after being treated at Bridgeport Hospital. His family alleges the telemedicine doctor declared the man deceased through a view screen, after a series of failures made it difficult to coordinate his medical needs.

The hospital and Yale New Haven are now facing a negligence lawsuit, with attorneys representing Hylton’s family accusing the facility of running a “fake ICU” in a court filing, noting that even the hospital’s own policy requires an onsite physician be the one attending to patients.

Further, Bridgeport Hospital is accused of failing to deploy necessary safeguards that could have saved Hylton’s life, especially since the severity of his symptoms should have made it clear there was an emergency.

According to a report from CT Insider, Hylton arrived at the hospital a day before he died, complaining of abdominal pain. Staff diagnosed him with pancreatitis, dehydration and metabolic acidosis—which staff believed to be linked to alcohol withdrawal.

As his symptoms worsened, he was sent to the hospital’s ICU for observation and further treatment. However, a medical analysis submitted to the court along with the lawsuit shows that Bridgeport Hospital operated a “tele-ICU,” meaning there were no intensive care physicians onsite during late-night/overnight hours.

It’s further alleged that no physician ever examined Hylton. The doctor assigned to him, Frances Demur, MD, instead monitored the patient remotely by communicating with staff through a video conference application.

As Hylton’s condition worsened and he showed signs of having seizures, Demur still never made the drive to Bridgeport, issuing instructions to staff from an outside location. The lawsuit contends that had the family known the ICU was monitored by telehealth, they never would have allowed Hylton to be admitted.

At 6:09 a.m., after he became unresponsive and was intubated, Hylton died.

His death, lawyers representing his family argue, was entirely preventable. They claim the tele-link made it challenging to communicate the urgency of the situation. Further, interventions that could have saved the young man’s life were slowed down due to the lack of an onsite physician.

The family is seeking unspecified damages.

For more, read CT Insider’s full coverage at the link below.