A Connecticut family is suing a hospital after alleging that an improperly placed feeding tube punctured an 80-year-old woman’s lung and contributed to a series of severe medical complications before her death.
Irene Perretta was treated at Bridgeport Hospital’s Milford Campus in May 2024 when medical staff attempted to insert a feeding tube, according to a lawsuit filed in Bridgeport Superior Court.
The complaint alleges that instead of traveling through Perretta’s esophagus and into her digestive tract, the tube entered her airway and extended into the space surrounding her lung.
Her family says the mistake caused a pneumothorax, commonly known as a collapsed lung, along with fluid buildup around the lung.
Perretta then required a chest tube and additional medical treatment.
The lawsuit claims she later developed serious complications that included sepsis, empyema and aspiration pneumonia.
Her family alleges those complications worsened her overall condition and ultimately contributed to her death in March 2025.
Perretta was 80 years old.
The lawsuit accuses Bridgeport Hospital and Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation, which operates the hospital, of medical negligence.
According to the complaint, medical staff failed to properly confirm the position of the feeding tube before it was used.
A physician who reviewed the case for the family wrote that accepted medical practice required radiographic confirmation that the tube tip had reached the correct position below the diaphragm before feeding, medication or flushing began.
The doctor said the development of a collapsed lung and possible contamination of the pleural space suggested that the required confirmation may not have been completed properly.
The lawsuit also accuses hospital staff of failing to adequately monitor Perretta after the procedure and failing to respond appropriately once complications developed.
Her family further claims that the risks, benefits and alternatives associated with the feeding tube procedure were not fully explained beforehand.
The allegations remain disputed.
Bridgeport Hospital expressed condolences to Perretta’s family but said it would address the claims through the legal process.
“Our caregivers work hard to provide compassionate, high-quality care to every patient we serve,” a hospital spokesperson said in a statement reported by local media.
The hospital has filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
Among its arguments, Yale New Haven Health says the case does not satisfy certain procedural requirements under Connecticut law.
The health system has also challenged the physician opinion letter submitted by the family, arguing that it does not provide enough detail about how hospital staff allegedly violated the applicable standard of care.
No court has yet ruled that the hospital or its employees were negligent.
Perretta died on March 10, 2025.
Her obituary described her as a woman who had already overcome serious health challenges, including breast cancer and colon cancer.
Family members remembered her as resilient and optimistic, saying she refused to let difficult circumstances define her.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and other relief.
DEI “medical staff”…..