However, he ignored them and proceeded with his scheduled surgery on Efurd. "It's on the butt cheek of his scrubs. Pic credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. The former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was finally brought to justice after injuring and maiming over 30 of his patients during surgery and allegedly causing the deaths of two more. One day, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiner's office. Jerry Summers, who grew up with Christopher Duntsch in Tennessee, was left a quadriplegic after agreeing to let "Dr. Death" operate on his neck. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. Learn more. It was then that Christopher decided to switch his career to medicine. Dhruv Trivedi. 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 . Plans start at $4.99/month. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. His pain management specialist advised against an operation but referred him to a neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch. To avoid the costs of fighting and possibly losing a wrongful termination suit, hospital officials reached a deal with Duntsch's lawyers in which Duntsch was allowed to resign in return for Baylor Plano issuing a letter stating that there were no issues with him. Dr. Mark Hoyle, a surgeon who worked with Duntsch during one of his botched procedures, told D Magazine that he would make extremely arrogant announcements such as: Everybody is doing it wrong. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. 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. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. Duntsch pierced and blocked her vertebral artery with a misplaced screw and refused to stop despite the massive blood loss. At one point, he was only able to eat small bites of food at one time. 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. Morguloff had become addicted to the pain killers being prescribed to him by this time. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and . 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. Summers had a credit card in his name connected to Duntsch's account and would drive him around, balance his checkbooks, and pick up his dry cleaning. In 2010, he completed the MDPhD and neurosurgery residency programs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,[3] and subsequently completed a spine fellowship program at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Memphis. He was a genius. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. Ghostbar, Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza. After a fall in her kitchen, Martin experienced chronic back pain and sought out surgery to alleviate it. A spill of more than 500,000-gallons of crude oil from the Keystone Pipeline in December in Kansas was caused by a combination of a faulty weld and "bending stress fatigue" on the pipe, the . He felt that anyone with a basic knowledge of human anatomy would know that he was operating in the wrong area of Efurd's back. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. She bled to death . During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. 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. "Dr. Death" is based on the chart-topping podcast of the same name that, in turn, is based on the horrifying true story of Christopher Duntsch. Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. 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. In his first surgery after his suspension lifted, he nicked the vertebral artery of Kellie Martin, a 55-year-old Garland woman. In January 2013, Kenneth Fennell was scheduled for another operation because he was still experiencing extreme pain in his back. 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. The story of Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch, feels like something out of a movie or book. As Burke says in "Dr. Death," "No matter what happens, no matter what somebody does to you or the people you love, all you're gonna get is $250,000. 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. Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. "I called Dr. Duntsch up, and I said, 'I saw this online.' 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. [37][4], Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand in order to prove that his actions were intentional. 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 . Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. Getty Dr. Duntsch, aka "Dr. Death", operated on his last patient in 2013, before he was arrested. Despite his colleagues being [] He is not eligible for parole until 2045; he will be 74 years old by then. They didn't have enough evidence to stop him because he hadn't done anything wrong yet. [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]. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. The Peacock limited series, based on the Wondery podcast, covers the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson ), whose surgical career ruined the lives of numerous people . B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. among the top 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. A patient who was left barely able to walk and in constant pain after undergoing two botched surgeries at the hands of killer neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch says he 'guarantees' there are other . 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. He was put on probation for three weeks and told to stick to relatively minor procedures when he returned. Then check out the horrifying story of Simon Bramhall, a surgeon who admitted to burning his initials into patients livers. [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. He's serving a life sentence for gross malpractice that resulted in two direct fatalities and the maiming of more than 30 neurosurgery patients, as told by Laura Beil, the journalist who hosts the Dr. Death podcast, on which the eponymous show is based. [26][4], After leaving Dallas Medical Center, Duntsch received privileges at South Hampton Community Hospital in Dallas and also took a job at an outpatient clinic named Legacy Surgery Center (now Frisco Ambulatory Surgery Center) in Frisco. 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. "He said the patient died from having an allergic reaction to the anesthesia." Unfortunately, when Fennell woke up from surgery, he was paralyzed from the waist down. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. The series follows two other surgeons, along with . Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. Trusty would later find out there was no award and it had just been a paid advertisement. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. On November 7, 2011, Dr. Duntsch was scheduled to perform his first surgery at Baylor Plano on Kenneth Fennell for his back pain. "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop him.". [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. 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. She was moved to the ICU and died due to blood loss. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. ", "Doctor Guilty of Felony Medical Malpractice", "Disciplinary actions against doctors have plunged during the pandemic, but that doesn't mean they are behaving", "An Update on Dr. Death Victim Philip Mayfield", "Jeff Glidewell Today: Where Is Dr. Death's Last Patient Now? Morgan says they spent a lot of time in clubs. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. [4], Upon applying for work, he looked extremely qualified on paper: he had spent a total of fifteen years in training (medical school, residency and fellowship), and his curriculum vitae was twelve single-spaced pages. Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Although she didn't think much of it and assumed Morgan was helping with research. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. 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. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. [4][5] In 2017, he was convicted of maiming one of his patients and sentenced to life imprisonment. [13] In 2010, Duntsch moved to Dallas. Dr. Christopher Duntsch's patients ended up maimed and dead, but the real tragedy is that the Texas Medical Board couldn't stop him. Death'? Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. Three holes had been poked into Efurd's spinal column where Duntsch had tried and failed to insert screws. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. 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. Texas law states that hospitals are liable for damages caused by doctors in their facilities only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital acted with "malice"that is, the hospital knew of the extreme risk and ignored itin credentialing a doctor. He moved in with his parents in Colorado and filed for bankruptcy, claiming around one million dollars in debt. 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. Several of Duntsch's surgeries at Baylor Plano resulted in severely maimed patients: Baylor Plano officials found that Duntsch failed to meet their standards of care and permanently revoked his surgical privileges. No diagnostic imaging studies were ordered, and no reasonable explanation was offered for his condition. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. Duntsch also received forty percent of all revenue he generated beyond $800,000 each year. 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. A Texas jury found Christopher Duntsch guilty Feb. 14 of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. Kirby arrived and transferred Glidewell to a top-tier hospital to perform an emergency operation to remove the sponge. 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." It told the unfortunately true story of Doctor Christopher Duntsch, who was eventually sentenced to life in prison for maiming an elderly patient. He was left with pain so debilitating he could not work any longer and now spends most of his days at home. 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. D Magazine gave him the nickname in . Death'? 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. He recommended fusing two of her vertebrae and the insertion of "hardware" in her spinal area. When he called Duntsch's office, he was told it would "go away." In May 2013, Dr. Randall Kirby was invited to a dinner by University General Hospital to meet their new neurosurgeon, Dr. Duntsch. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move and theoretically get a medical license in another state. [14] He persuaded Young to come with him; Young agreed, since she had grown up in the Dallas area. Ellis Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas. Convinced that he was a clear and present danger to the public, they urged the Dallas County district attorney's office to pursue criminal charges. Christopher Duntsch wrote that he was ready to become a "cold blooded killer". Watch the trailer for Dr . In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. Efurd eventually gained back some control and mobility, but she now uses a wheelchair and suffers chronic pain. Duntsch continued to medicate Morguloff with prescription pain killers and ignored the change in his condition. 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 . 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. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, a neurosurgery resident does about 1,000 operations during training. He was sent to a program for impaired physicians when he returned but was allowed to finish his residency. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. "[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. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him.

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