State to Probe UCI Hospital Suicide

State health regulators are investigating whether UCI Medical Center failed to properly handle a depressed patient who hanged himself in a psychiatric ward last week, officials confirmed Monday.

As is required by law, UCI officials notified the state Department of Health Services about the incident. The agency investigates whenever there is an “unusual occurrence” at a hospital.

“What we look for is what went wrong that allowed this to occur,” said Lea Brooks, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health Services.

The investigation comes as the Orange hospital is facing increased scrutiny after revelations that more than 30 patients in its liver transplant program died awaiting operations, even as the hospital rejected dozens of proffered livers.

Last week, state health officials, acting at the behest of the federal government, launched a systemwide review of the hospital to determine if there were any serious shortfalls.

UCI officials said patient confidentiality laws precluded them from explaining the circumstances of the patient’s death and any security precautions they may have taken.

Sgt. Shaun Devlin of the UCI police said medical staff at the hospital tried to revive the patient.

The patient, an 18-year-old man from Fountain Valley, was declared dead about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The coroner’s office said the cause was “ligature hanging” and that he had suffered from clinical depression.

If state investigators find problems, the hospital would be required to submit a detailed plan showing how it would improve. Brooks said investigators could also find that the hospital acted according to policy.

Results of the inquiry are expected in about a month.

Neither the state nor UCI had statistics on the rate of hospital suicides. Representatives for both said they were rare.

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Times staff writer Kimi Yoshino contributed to this report.