And its all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. When he arrived, Nurse Kyle Kissinger spotted a hole in Duntsch's scrubs. In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. Licensed to kill: lawsuit seeks to overturn Texas hospital shield law In September 2012, Jeff Cheney went to Duntsch to relieve the pain that had moved from his shoulder down to his arm. [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. 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. 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. 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." When he called Duntsch's office, he was told it would "go away." However, Mayfield still woke up with paralysis on occasion. He later told Glidewell that it was clear Duntsch had tried to kill him. (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 . But police say an email Duntsch wrote in 2011 points to his mind-set in the months before he "intentionally, knowingly and . 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. After the operation, Brown woke up and seemed fine, but early the following day; she lost consciousness. Baylor officials took Summers' accusation seriously and ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. In 2005, partway through the six-year program, he became the director of the tissue bank. However, Duntsch was allowed to resign, and the hospital didn't notify the National Practitioner Data Bankagain. But, she never reported Duntsch up the ladder or told anyone about the horrors she witnessed in the operating room. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. Death'? Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. The first screening came back diluted with tap water, but a second, taken a few days later, came back clean. Glidewell was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus and partial paralysis on his left side. Kenneth Fennell, the first patient Duntsch operated on at Baylor Plano, was left with chronic pain after Duntsch operated on the wrong part of his back. Christopher Duntsch: A Review of Clinicide - Walsh Medical Media Vaccinated people who catch Covid are reporting unique symptoms - the 4 signs to watch for, Man, 34, charged with murder after woman, 63, killed in house fire as family vow 'you'll never be forgotten', Six dead after private jet crashes and explodes in fireball between two houses sparking forest blaze near golf course. For instance, he came to work wearing the same tattered scrubs for three days in a row. Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. He thought surgery might give him some relief and stop his need for drugs. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. Dr Deathis a new limited series about the rise and fall of Duntsch. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. When Duntsch finally returned on Monday, he was fired. Passmore can't feel his feet; his chest shakes, his right-hand jitters, he can't run or swim with his kids, he struggles with incontinence, and he has nerve pain that fires through his back. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. The Terrifying True Story Behind Peacock's Dr. Death - E! Online 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. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. Lee Passmore is still fighting. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Finally, the board permanently revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. 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." During surgery, Duntsch operated on the wrong part of Fennell's back. In July 2015, a grand jury indicted Dr. Death on five counts of aggravated assault and one count of harming an elderly person, his patient Mary Efurd, according to Rolling Stone. 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. Chahadeh was worried about his facility and getting sued by Duntsch; he said to Dr. Kirby that they had already given him privileges. So, Summers used the only thing he had left, his voice, to scream and yell, even telling the nurses that he and Duntsch had done an eight ball of cocaine the night before his surgery. At one point, he was only able to eat small bites of food at one time. Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. In May 2013, Dr. Randall Kirby was invited to a dinner by University General Hospital to meet their new neurosurgeon, Dr. Duntsch. Thankfully, this ended up being Dr. Christopher Duntsch's last operation. In 2017, Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of maiming one of his patients. An investigator by trade and nature, Passmore started digging into Dr. Christopher Duntsch. 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. Despite all of this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. Anatomy of a Tragedy: The Story Behind 'Sociopath Surgeon' Christopher 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. Christopher Duntsch. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. The surgical disasters of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch led to his jailing in 2017, setting a legal precedent. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. Christopher Duntsch, known as "Dr. Death" tried to explain himself in rambling emails, but he only made things worse for his criminal case. In January 2013, Kenneth Fennell was scheduled for another operation because he was still experiencing extreme pain in his back. The story of Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch, feels like something out of a movie or book. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? Three holes had been poked into Efurd's spinal column where Duntsch had tried and failed to insert screws. He proved to be Duntsch's last surgery; University General pushed him out soon afterward. [7] He likened what he found when he opened Efurd up to the results of a child playing with Tinkertoys or an erector set. Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, Dr. Randall Kirbysays of Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. Why do Slipknot wear masks and what do they look like without? He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. Then, on December 6, 2011, he operated on seventy-four-year-old Mary Efurd. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. Plano's Baylor hospital faces hard questions after claims against He recommended fusing two of her vertebrae and the insertion of "hardware" in her spinal area. "It's a miracle," she said in the infomercial later promoted on his website. Dr. Death: The Long & Bloody Road to Justice for Dallas' Deadly Doctor Death' found guilty of maiming woman during surgery", "Former neurosurgeon sentenced for purposely maiming patients", "Doctor convicted of botched surgery gets life in prison", "Christopher Daniel Duntsch v. The State of Texas Appeal from Criminal District Court No. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. Efurd eventually gained back some control and mobility, but she now uses a wheelchair and suffers chronic pain. Death', "Texas Jury Imposes Life Sentence on Neurosurgeon", "The Making and Breaking of Dr. "Christopher Duntsch" (Dr. Death)", "Season 14 of CNBC's 'American Greed' Premieres Monday, January 18 at 10PM", Dr. Death: The Texas Surgeon Who Paralyzed his Patients, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christopher_Duntsch&oldid=1139253982. Kirby was shocked; he called the owner of University General and warned him that Duntsch would hurt someone, and the hospital would be over. Where Is Christopher Duntsch Now After His Appearance on - Distractify 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. It was then that Christopher decided to switch his career to medicine. Before working with him, Dr. Hoyle said that he didnt know how to feel about his fellow surgeon. Kirby claimed that it looked as if Duntsch had tried to decapitate Glidewell and contended that such a botched surgery has not happened in the United States of America before. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Duntsch, aka Dr Death, was sentenced to life in prison in 2017, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. August 28, 2013, 2:01 . "[32][9] ADA Michelle Shughart, who led the prosecution of Duntsch, later recalled that Henderson, Kirby, and Lazar contacted her demanding to testify against Duntsch; according to Shughart, doctors almost never testify against each other. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. 0:05. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Kissinger also noticed that Duntsch had pinpoint pupils and hardly seemed to blink. Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears. Now, a podcast called Dr. Death is breaking down the deranged surgeon's criminal acts and shows how drug abuse and blinding overconfidence led to big trouble for the patients who found themselves underneath the spiraling doctor's knife.. Christopher Duntsch, once a supremely confident neurosurgeon with a solid rsum and a wealth of potential, fled town in disgrace last year under a scalding cascade . 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.". On May 24, 2011, Christopher Duntsch signed a physician services agreement with Rimlawi and Won's Minimally Invasive Spine Institute (MISI) in Dallas. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. 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. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . Duntschs career started off bright. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. Your trust is important to us. 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. He was sent to a program for impaired physicians when he returned but was allowed to finish his residency. "Christopher Duntsch, Texas Medical Board license number N8183, is an impaired physician, a sociopath, and must be stopped from practicing medicine." Robin Glidewell also sent a letter . The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. On November 7, 2011, Dr. Duntsch was scheduled to perform his first surgery at Baylor Plano on Kenneth Fennell for his back pain. 'Dr. Death' Condemns Christopher Duntsch, but the Real Culprit Is Texas He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. After interviewing dozens of Duntsch's patients and their survivors, prosecutors concluded that Duntsch's actions were indeed criminal, and nothing short of imprisonment would prevent him from practicing medicine again. Lazar was scathingly critical of Duntsch's work. He didn't wear underwear. [14] He persuaded Young to come with him; Young agreed, since she had grown up in the Dallas area. She was moved to the ICU and died due to blood loss. Due to the debilitating pain, Fennell later had a second operation by Duntsch to relieve it, and was left significantly paralyzed in his legs. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. Duntsch focused on his research for a while but was recruited from Memphis to join the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in North Dallas in the summer of 2011. 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 . 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. Peacock's new grisly drama tells the real-life story of Dallas-area neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who killed or maimed more than 30 patients in the 2010s. Henderson sent Duntsch's picture to the University of Tennessee to determine whether he actually had a degree from that institution and received confirmation that Duntsch, in fact, did. 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. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. 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. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and Christopher was determined to follow in those footsteps. "[3] 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. He is not eligible for parole until 2045; he will be 74 years old by then. I thought he was either really, really good, or hes just really, really arrogant and thought he was good, Hoyle said. He had a bedroom upstairs in their Plano house. [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. By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. Before he was "Dr. Death" on Wondery's hit 2018 podcast, disgraced former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was a student at Colorado State University. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. Kirby arrived and transferred Glidewell to a top-tier hospital to perform an emergency operation to remove the sponge. February 22, 2017. The series follows two other surgeons, along with . However, part of the problem was proving that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. Duntsch also removed so much bone and muscle tissue from Summers' neck that his head was no longer secure on his body. The nursing staff put down towels to soak it up. Every victim deserves to have their story told, and unfortunately, Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, has 33. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Joshua Jackson Is Game, but 'Dr. Death' Lacks Insight: TV - Variety Dr. Death season one review: a true crime podcast is even scarier - Vox One day, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiner's office. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. A disc in his lower spine had blown out, and the pieces had to be picked out of the space above. Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. He also reported shooting pains throughout his body. 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. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. Duntsch pierced and blocked her vertebral artery with a misplaced screw and refused to stop despite the massive blood loss. CHRISTOPHER Duntsch, is infamously known as Dr Death for gross malpractice. [42] The four hospitals that employed Duntsch have ongoing civil cases against him. One of the early investors in DiscGenics, Rand Page, said Duntsch would be mixing a vodka orange juice during their morning meetings. Where Is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death Now? He Got A - Bustle [4] Mayfield died of COVID-19 in February 2021; according to his wife, he had been vulnerable to the virus due to complications caused by Duntsch's botched surgeries. Leaving on April 20, 2012, with a lawyer-negotiated letter saying, "All areas of concern with regard to Christopher D. Duntsch have been closed. Glidewell is still in constant pain and has undergone more than 50 procedures to correct the damage left by Duntsch. 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. For 33 patients of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, it was a reality. Hoyle called the surgery sloppy enough to cancel the remaining four operations he had scheduled with Duntsch and vowed never to work with him again. [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. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. 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 . As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Baylor wanted Duntsch operating quickly and often so they could be reimbursed for the monies they had advanced to him. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. ", "Surgeon who wrote of becoming killer is denied bail reduction", "Elderly couple attends court hoping for justice in Duntsch case", "Who Were The Victims Of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, Who Earned The Ominous Nickname 'Dr. Dr. Duntsch said to Cheney, "I don't know why you're this way. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. On top of this, he misspelled both Kukekov and Ignatova's names. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. Dr. Phil airs on weekdays. Duntsch, who had been listed as the founder, president & chief science officer, was being sued by the former chief operating officer and was dismissed from his roles and seat on the board. Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. As the trial team put it, the "scary pattern" of Duntsch's actions became apparent to the others in the office, leading the DA to give the green light to take the case to a grand jury. He was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus, and partial paralysis on his left side. An anesthesiologist and Dr. Anson Fulton, who assisted with the surgery, warned Duntsch about the blood loss, and he continued to ignore them and operate. Henderson sent Duntsch's picture to the University of Tennessee to determine whether he had a degree from that institution and received confirmation that Duntsch was not a fraud. "If he wasn't doing research, he was out with Jerry Summers, partying," Morgan said in her deposition. Nicknamed "Dr. Death," the story of Duntsch's egregious medical crimes and the healthcare system that failed so many by allowing him to practice received the podcast treatment in 2018 from Wondery, the team behind "Dirty John.". [11] Several of his friends recalled him going to work after a night of doing drugs, with one of them saying he would never allow Duntsch to operate on him. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. He ran two labs, gained experience writing grants, and earned more than $3 million in funding for research projects. Prince Charming, Im gonna change your life, Wendy Young said of the promising start to her romance with Christopher Duntsch. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. Summers asked Duntsch to fix his chronic neck pain from a high school football injury that had gotten worse after a car accident. Where is Michelle Shughart Now? - The Cinemaholic Unfortunately, when Fennell woke up from surgery, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Floella Brown went under Dr. Deaths knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. According to Megan Kane, an ex-girlfriend of one of Duntschs friends, she saw him eat a paper blotter of LSD and take prescription painkillers on his birthday. Finally, Dr. Kirby received a call from Hassan Chahadeh. The series peers into the torturous crimes of . Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through .
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