July 14, 2021. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. The show starsJoshua Jackson,Grace Gummer, AnnaSophia Robb,Christian SlaterandAlec Baldwin. He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. Film & TV 'Dr. Death' Condemns Christopher Duntsch, but the Real Culprit Is Texas's Broken Health-Care System I helped break the story on the convicted surgeon, but Peacock's dramatized . As of this date, there have been no summary or administrative restrictions or suspension of Duntsch's medical staff membership or clinical privileges during the time he has practiced at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.". After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd, and on February 20, 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison. Summers asked Duntsch to fix his chronic neck pain from a high school football injury that had gotten worse after a car accident. Jeff Glidewell came across Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2013 while searching for a neurosurgeon . D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntschs patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. He added that many board members found it hard to believe that a trained surgeon could be as incompetent as Duntsch appeared to be.[9]. Hospital officials were exasperated when Duntsch refused to delay Efurd's surgery, and asked him multiple times to care for Brown or transfer her out of his care. That same month, the two began an affair. Now, his time at the university . On April 9, 2013, Phillip Mayfield was scheduled to have a simple 45-minute operation to alleviate his back pain. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. She bled to death . Dallas-based surgeon Christopher Duntsch was also the subject of a Wondery podcast titled "Dr. Death." (Dallas County Jail) The indictment accused Duntsch of wide-ranging malpractice, including . A neurosurgeon in Dallas, Texas, who once described himself as a "stone cold killer" was sentenced to life in prison on February 20 for maiming a woman named Mary . [4] Duntsch also claimed to have graduated magna cum laude from St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital with a doctorate in microbiology a program that the hospital did not offer at the time he allegedly attended. [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Duntsch was suspected of having used cocaine the night before the operation. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most think. Then, on December 6, 2011, he operated on seventy-four-year-old Mary Efurd. For instance, he upbraided him for missing the signs that Martin was bleeding out, saying that, "You can't not know [that] and be a neurosurgeon. [16][24] Henderson described Duntsch's surgery as an "assault", and concluded that Efurd would have been bedridden had the salvage surgery not been performed. Joshua Jackson went to the dark side to play Dr. Christopher Duntsch, who's serving a life sentence for maiming a woman during surgery, in the new Peacock series Dr. Death. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most laymen believe, and it took until June 2013 to find the "pattern of patient injury" required to justify suspending Duntsch's license. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . The pressure was building inside her brain. Duntsch approached Pam Trusty about being on camera during a follow-up visit where she was still in pain. Finally, Dr. Kirby received a call from Hassan Chahadeh. Prosecutors also faulted Duntsch's employers for not reporting him. At the time of their meeting, Young was working as a dancer in a strip club. 'Hot TikTok doc' urges young people to get jabbed - warning of dangers of long Covid, Daughter, 39, guilty of stabbing mum to death before setting house on fire and dumping her dismembered body in river, Pregnant beautician loses baby after savage beating by monster husband who kidnapped her amid divorce row, Shocking moment man is crushed to death by an enraged elephant after crowd taunts herd of jumbos. Kirby, Henderson, and another doctor decided to contact the district attorney, convinced that Duntsch's malpractice was so egregious it was criminal. Dr Death, un nuevo programa que llegar a Peacock el jueves (15 de julio), se basa en la historia de la vida real de Christopher Duntsch, un ex neurocirujano que era, como dijo un famoso titular de ProPublica, "tan malo que era criminal".. Joshua Jackson interpreta a Duntsch, que ahora tiene 50 aos y cumple cadena perpetua despus de ser condenado en 2017 por mutilar a uno de sus . However, the surgery had to be moved to November 14 because Duntsch had failed to order the appropriate surgical hardware and equipment. Duntsch also removed so much bone and muscle tissue from Summers' neck that his head was no longer secure on his body. Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through . In 2017, Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of maiming one of his patients. However, part of the problem was proving that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. [16] Kirby also recalled that Duntsch's skills in the operating room left much to be desired; as Kirby put it, "he could not wield a scalpel".[4]. The deal required Duntsch to attain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. Duntsch was fired after he performed a surgery and immediately left for Las Vegas, leaving no one to look after his patient. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. [9], In March 2014, three former patients of Duntsch's Mary Efurd, Kenneth Fennel, and Lee Passmore filed separate federal lawsuits against Baylor Plano, alleging the hospital allowed Duntsch to perform surgeries despite knowing that he was a dangerous physician. Leaving on April 20, 2012, with a lawyer-negotiated letter saying, "All areas of concern with regard to Christopher D. Duntsch have been closed. Even though he lived in Colorado, he returned to Dallas to see his two sons. The surgical disasters of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch led to his jailing in 2017, setting a legal precedent. It was. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. For 33 patients of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, it was a reality. Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Christopher Duntsch ended up at Millsaps College in Mississippi to play football and was offered financial aid. It involves the case of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a spinal neurosurgeon who left a trail of dead and permanently disabled . His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary, and his mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Death'? ", You know in the beginning he talked about marriage. Glidewell was reportedly still suffering the ill effects of Duntsch's operation years later and has undergone more than 50 procedures to correct the damage. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . (The Associated Press) A Texas neurosurgeon branded a "sociopath" by his colleagues could be facing 99 years in prison over multiple charges of intentionally botching . It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. However, Mayfield still woke up with paralysis on occasion. Despite his colleagues being [] [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. 0:57. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email written by Christopher Duntsch. But based on documents gathered by the DA, when Duntsch finished his residency, he had operated fewer than 100 times. Glidewell was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus and partial paralysis on his left side. [3], Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board. We've had a catastrophic event here. He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. However, St. Jude says there was no such program at the hospital. Promising Beginnings. Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move and theoretically get a medical license in another state. Pic credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office. According to D Magazine, a doctor at the hospital where Duntsch worked said that Duntsch had been sent to an impaired physician program after he refused to take a drug test. Duntsch severed his vertebral nerve, his vocal cords, cut a hole in his esophagus, sliced through an artery, and mistook part of his neck muscle as a tumor. The Dallas district attorney's office subpoenaed every hospital on Duntsch's CV for records of his surgeries. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. Now, a podcast called Dr. Death is breaking down the deranged surgeons criminal acts and shows how drug abuse and blinding overconfidence led to big trouble for the patients who found themselvesunderneath the spiraling doctors knife. My experience with this doctor has been great. Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. The lead investigator on the case later revealed that she wanted Duntsch's license suspended while the ten-month probe was underway, but board attorneys were not willing to go along. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. The day that Brown suffered her stroke, Duntsch operated again. Mr. The Texas Medical Board would later conclude that Brown died of excessive blood loss and a stroke, according to The Texas Observer . Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of . executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. However, Duntsch was allowed to resign, and the hospital didn't notify the National Practitioner Data Bankagain. Around this time, Christopher Duntsch's behavior became noticeably erratic. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. With Brown still in the ICU, Duntsch took another patient into surgery that morning. She was moved to the ICU and died due to blood loss. He was arrested for DUI in Denver, taken for a psychiatric evaluation in Dallas during one of his visits to see his children, and was arrested in Dallas for shoplifting. Kane also recalled a cocaine- and LSD-fueled night of partying between her, her ex-boyfriend, and Duntsch where, after the end of their all-night party, she saw Duntsch put on his lab coat and go to work. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. They have two sons. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The two went back to Duntsch's home and danced under a disco ball he had in his office. Death'? He called Duntsch's fellowship supervisor in Memphis, as well as the supervisor of Duntsch's residency; it was then that he learned about the incident that led him to be referred to the impaired physician program. As those watching the show know, Christopher was dubbed "Dr. Death" in D Magazine . To see the rest of Dr. Christopher Duntsch's murder and maiming spree, and the fight to stop him, you'll need to purchase Peacock premium. Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. But soon his patients started to experience complications, and the system failed to protect them. Dr. He has taken Baylor Plano to court over changing the Texas law requiring patients to prove that a hospital intended to harm them when it granted privileges to someone unsafe. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. Once, he stopped by to pick up some paperwork. At the time, Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before the Texas Medical Board revoked his license. [12], Initially, Duntsch focused heavily on the PhD half of his degree. Dr. Fulton never worked with Duntsch again. At one point, he was only able to eat small bites of food at one time. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. He later told Glidewell that it was clear Duntsch had tried to kill him. The board called in veteran neurosurgeon Martin Lazar to review the case. Summers remained quadriplegic for the rest of his life. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971)[1] is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death[2] for gross malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients' spines and two deaths while working at hospitals in the DallasFort Worth metroplex. However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. He stalled at first, telling administrators he got lost on the way to the lab. He was nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death for malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients and killing two of them while working at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, a neurosurgery resident does about 1,000 operations during training. In addition, a neurosurgeon hired to review Brown's case found that Dr. Duntsch had misdiagnosed the source of her pain and was operating in the wrong place. Advertisements. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. 11:15 PM on Mar 1, 2014 CST. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. The Legislature not only puts the burden of proof on the plaintiff instead of the defendant in medical malpractice cases, but it also allows hospitals to keep information about doctors confidential. [15], Duntsch joined Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano (now Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Plano) as a minimally invasive spine surgeon with a salary of $600,000 per year, plus bonuses. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. An investigator by trade and nature, Passmore started digging into Dr. Christopher Duntsch. The two soon began dating and moving in together within three months. The first season of Dr. Death, which launched in 2018 and ran for seven episodes, examined the life and horrific crimes of Christopher Duntsch. Their fling was confined to his office at Baylor Plano, and Morgan said in her deposition that he frequently drank vodka and did medical research for hours. An MRI revealed that multiple bone fragments in his spinal canal were compressing and adhering to his S1 nerve and that Duntsch had installed the hardware incorrectly. When he woke, he could not move anything on the right side of his body. Those are the words that Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas neurosurgeon, wrote to his girlfriend in 2011 in the midst of a two-year period that left 33 of his 38 patients maimed, wounded or . Even worse, some of the patients never got the chance to wake up. Then check out the horrifying story of Simon Bramhall, a surgeon who admitted to burning his initials into patients livers. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. He didn't contact a lawyer, although he struggled with the decision. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. [43], The conviction of Duntsch has been called a precedent-setting case, as it is believed to be the first time that a physician has been convicted on criminal charges for actions in the course of their medical work. It was completely unnecessary, didn't relieve her pain, and only set her up for another needed surgery. Shughart argued that Duntsch should have known he would hurt others unless he changed his approach and that his failure to learn from his past mistakes demonstrated that his maiming of Efurd was intentional. His older son had been born back when he was at Baylor Plano. Not only was he not qualified for and held no privileges to perform brain surgery, but Dallas Medical did not have the proper equipment or personnel for such an operation. Getty Dr. Duntsch, aka "Dr. Death", operated on his last patient in 2013, before he was arrested. Mayfield died of COVID in February 2021; according to his wife, he had been vulnerable to the virus due to complications caused by Duntsch's botched surgery. She bled so much that blood was saturating the blue draping around her body and dripping onto the floor. After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. Duntsch stuffed Glidewell's throat with a surgical sponge to attempt to stop the bleeding. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. [38][39] On December 10, 2018, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed Duntsch's conviction by a 21 split decision. Duntsch told his friends and family that Passmore would be fine in a day or two and to not worry about it. Prosecutors put a high priority on that charge, as it provided the widest sentencing range, with Duntsch facing up to life in prison if convicted. My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. A few days later, he took the test and passed. No one can pay to remove ratings. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. Wendy Young knew her ex-boyfriend Christopher Duntsch's medical career was unraveling, but she wasn't prepared for what she said was his bizarre behavior that coincided with his fall from grace as a surgeon.. Baylor wanted Duntsch operating quickly and often so they could be reimbursed for the monies they had advanced to him. Inside The Death Of Chris Benoit, The Professional Wrestler Who Killed His Family And Then Himself, Archaeologists Just Uncovered A Massive Roman Phallic Carving In Spain And It Might Be The Biggest Ever Found, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Dr. Death in surgery. According to D Magazine, Duntsch did so well in medical school that he was allowed to join the prestigiousAlpha Omega Medical Honor Society. Randall Kirby wrote a detailed complaint to the Texas Medical Board, calling Duntsch a "sociopath" who was "a clear and present danger to the citizens of Texas." A neurosurgery expert for Duntsch's defense team himself said, "The conditions which created Dr. Duntsch still exist, thereby making it possible for another to come along.". Duntsch had removed part of his femoral nerve. One screw was jabbed directly into her spinal canal and had skewered the nerves that control one leg and the bladder. Unfortunately, when Morguloff woke up, he began to experience continuous pain, paresthesia, and loss of sensation in his left leg. His resume looked brilliant on paper," journalistMatt Goodman said of Christopher Duntsch's ability to continue to gain employment at Texas hospitals despite a deadly track record. The staff told Duntsch that Brown, his patient from the day before, was in critical condition. He called Duntsch's fellowship supervisor in Memphis and the supervisor of Duntsch's residency; it was then that he learned about the incident that led him to be referred to the impaired physician program. Death.. The television series Dr. Death based on the incident, began streaming on Peacock in July 2021. "[45], Wondery Media launched a ten-episode podcast series named Dr. Death, focusing on Duntsch. A Texas jury found Christopher Duntsch guilty Feb. 14 of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. After several more months of botched surgeries, Duntsch finally lost his surgical privileges altogether in June 2013 after two physicians complained to the Texas Medical Board. Dr. Frederick Boop, chief of neurosurgery at the hospital where Duntsch was completing his residency, said that university officials asked Duntsch to take a drug test. The databank was established in 1990 and tracks malpractice payouts and adverse actions against doctors, such as being fired, banned from Medicare, handed a lengthy suspension, or having their license suspended or revoked. Soon afterward, he severely maimed Jeff Glidewell after mistaking part of his neck muscle for a tumor during a routine cervical fusion, severing one of his vocal cords, cutting a hole in his esophagus and slicing an artery. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. [47] A follow-up docuseries, Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story, was later released on Peacock on July 29, 2021, featuring interviews with some of Duntsch's patients and colleagues, as well as with Henderson, Kirby and Shughart. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. The director of neurosurgery at UT Southwestern, Carlos Bagley, testifying for the defense, said that "the only way this happens is that the entire system fails the patients." 0:05. One day, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiner's office. and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee Health Center. [7] While operating on Jacqueline Troy, Duntsch cut one of her vocal cords and an artery and also damaged her trachea. Now, one of the several complaints against the . And its all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. A CT scan would later reveal that Efurds nerve root had been amputated, there were several screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and one screw had been lodged in another nerve root. He was put on probation for three weeks and told to stick to relatively minor procedures when he returned. He thought surgery might give him some relief and stop his need for drugs. "[20][4] Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. In 2005, about a third of the way through his residency, department chairman Dr. Jon Robertson appointed Duntsch program director of the school's tissue bank. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. Over the span of a few years, he managed to maim and injure over 30 patients, with two more dying during and shortly after undergoing surgery with him. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. Fennell is in constant pain, and it took several months of rehabilitation before he could begin to walk with a cane. The Legislature has also made suing hospitals difficult. i feel much better now ! [13] In 2010, Duntsch moved to Dallas. [44] The Dallas County district attorney's office called it "a historic case with respect to prosecuting a doctor who had done wrong during surgery. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. Duntsch's trial has been called a precedent-setting case, as it's the first time that a physician has been convicted on criminal charges for actions in the course of their medical work and malpractice involving botched surgery. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. The surgery was scheduled for December 30, 2011. Just one day after his suspension had ended, Duntsch operated on Kellie Martin. Her husband could not hold himself up; he had no support of his own and could barely speak. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. She said she thought that he was going to make millions, Kimberly Morgan's friend once said her attraction to Christopher Duntsch. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. Famously known by the Family name Christopher Daniel Duntsch, is a great neurosurgeon and convicted criminal for malpractice.He was born on April 3, 1971, in Montana. There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. They also believed that charge would be easy to prove in court; Duntsch had been told repeatedly that he was not placing the hardware in the correct position and fluoroscopy images from Efurd's surgery proved this. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. The patient was Mary Efurd coming in for a second operation. Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. Facebook Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. They also believed that the charge would be easy to prove in court; Duntsch had been told repeatedly that he was not placing the hardware in the correct position, and fluoroscopy images from Efurd's surgery proved this. Jodi Smith. Duntsch told Mayfield's wife it went well, but she instantly knew something was wrong as she walked into his room.
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