SAN DIEGO -- A former San Diego Children's Hospital nurse who kept detailed journals about his love for young children pleaded guilty Friday to molesting a comatose 4-year-old patient and possessing child pornography.

Christopher Alan Irvin, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of committing a lewd act on a child under 14 and 10 counts of distributing child pornography.

Prosecutors dropped one count of child molestation and 10 additional child pornography counts, according to Deputy District Attorney Laura Gunn.

Irvin faces a maximum sentence of more than 14 years in state prison under the plea agreement. He could have faced a maximum of 30 years in prison if he had been convicted in a trial on all counts, Gunn said.

Irvin worked in the intensive care unit at Children's Hospital from October 2004 until his arrest in April.

Gunn said he admitted to molesting a girl who suffers from a rare condition and is unable to communicate. She remains a patient in the hospital's critical-care unit.

An affidavit filed by San Diego police stated that during an interview with officers Irvin admitted touching the girl's genitals on two occasions but "didn't get sexually aroused, so he decided he was not interested in children."

Investigators interviewed six children at an acute-care facility in Tallahassee, Fla., where Irvin worked as a registered nurse before moving to California, according to Paul Levikow, a spokesman for the San Diego district attorney's office.

Investigators learned of the children after seizing files and documents at Irvin's home containing their names. Florida authorities do not anticipate filing any charges against Irvin, Levikow said.

Another nurse at the hospital, respiratory therapist Wayne Albert Bleyle, 55, was arrested in March. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he molested five young patients, all of whom were unable to communicate because of brain damage or other severe conditions. He remained in custody in lieu of $5 million bond and faces preliminary trial hearings later this month.

Hospital official Tom Hanscom said the facility has changed procedures and hired extra staff to help prevent future abuses.