'Dr. Death' shows how Texas law gives negligent health care providers a In his deposition, Summers admitted he made up the pre-surgery cocaine binge because he felt Duntsch had abandoned him, as both his doctor and his friend. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. Christopher Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon known by his nickname Dr. Death or Dr. D. The Montana native got his nickname for his malpractice while working at hospitals in Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He earned his M.D. [4] [19], Despite both of his surgeries at Dallas Medical Center going catastrophically awry, hospital officials did not report him to the NPDB. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. To become a neurosurgeon, one typically has to complete over 1000 surgeries in residency, but somehow, reporter Laura Beil discovered that Duntsch only completed 100. Many readers may recognize the name Christopher Duntsch, a doctor who allegedly was negligent in his practice for years before finally being stripped of his medical license. Kim Morgan Now: Where is Nurse and Christopher Duntsch's Ex-Assisstant Kirby was shocked; he called the owner of University General and warned him that Duntsch would hurt someone, and the hospital would be over. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. 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. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most think. Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. Even though he lived in Colorado, he returned to Dallas to see his two sons. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. 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. However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. Duntsch continued operating despite clear signs that Martin was losing massive amounts of blood. [38][39] On December 10, 2018, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed Duntsch's conviction by a 21 split decision. It was determined during the repair surgery that Dr. Duntsch had not even been operating on the correct part of Jeff Glidewell's spine. [36] On February 20, 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison. Christopher Duntsch's Emails Are Threatening and Bewildering - Yahoo 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 2-Dr.Randall Kirby, a hero. During a deposition, Megan Krane recalled Duntsch eating a paper blotter of LSD and taking prescription painkillers on his birthday. Christopher Duntsch: A Review of Clinicide - Walsh Medical Media i feel much better now ! Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. Unfortunately, when Fennell woke up from surgery, he was paralyzed from the waist down. He was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus, and partial paralysis on his left side. It was completely unnecessary, didn't relieve her pain, and only set her up for another needed surgery. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. His CV also conveyed he earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from St. Jude Children's Research Hospitals, graduating summa cum laude. 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 . He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. While they were in the lab working, Duntsch went to work raising money for a company he called DiscGenics. He was brilliant. One day, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiner's office. 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 . I dont know if hes there to harm me or what his true intentions were, Wendy Young said of the harrowing alleged encounter with Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch told Mayfield's wife it went well, but she instantly knew something was wrong as she walked into his room. Dr. Christopher D. Duntsch, Inactive - Plano, TX - RateMDs '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. We've had a catastrophic event here. Mayfield was taken to a different hospital and told his spinal cord had already been deformed, and the damage was irreversible. Baylor wanted Duntsch operating quickly and often so they could be reimbursed for the monies they had advanced to him. ", "Plano's Baylor hospital faces hard questions after claims against former neurosurgeon", "Barry Morguloff's suit against the Baylor Health Care System", "Was Wendy Renee Young Dr. Death's Wife? But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. 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 . Jerry Summers, who grew up with Christopher Duntsch in Tennessee, was left a quadriplegic after agreeing to let "Dr. Death" operate on his neck. Mayfield also suffered from random fainting spells that happen every few weeks. Passmore says if he settles, he is allowing the hospital to continue to get away with their negligence. 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. On May 24, 2011, Christopher Duntsch signed a physician services agreement with Rimlawi and Won's Minimally Invasive Spine Institute (MISI) in Dallas. In one particularly disturbing episode, in March 2015, she said she arrived home to her front door had been locked with a deadbolt from the inside. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. Joshua Jackson on Not Playing Dr. Death as an Evil Man "[4] The Texas Medical Board revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. His pain management specialist advised against an operation but referred him to a neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch. Unfortunately, when Morguloff woke up, he began to experience continuous pain, paresthesia, and loss of sensation in his left leg. In April 2015, Duntsch was arrested again for shoplifting $887 worth of merchandise from a Dallas Walmart. He didn't contact a lawyer, although he struggled with the decision. 'Dr. Death': Texas Neurosurgeon Sentenced to Life in Prison - Peoplemag A few days later, he took the test and passed. ", "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? By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. Over the course of two years, Christopher Duntsch operated on 38 patients in the Dallas area. Finally, Dr. Kirby received a call from Hassan Chahadeh. I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. Summers remained quadriplegic for the rest of his life. 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. He later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . 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. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. Around this time, Christopher Duntsch's behavior became noticeably erratic. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football.[7]. [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. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. 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. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Who Is Christopher Duntsch, The Man Nicknamed 'Dr. Death' Who Injured Duntsch had come highly recommended to Fennell and wooed him with boasts that he'd soon be head of Baylor Medical Center's entire neurosurgery department. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. However, it wasn't clear how much training Duntsch received. His first and only surgery with MISI was on a Thursday in September 2011 at Baylor Plano. Ellis Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas. When Morgan asked Duntsch about the woman in his house, he said she was just his secretary and friend. [23][19][24], While operating on Efurd, Duntsch severed one of her nerve roots during spinal fusion surgery while operating on the wrong portion of her back, twisted a screw into another nerve, left screw holes on the opposite side of her spine, failed to remove the disc he was supposed to remove, and left surgical hardware in her muscle tissue so loose that it moved when touched. 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. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. When Duntsch finally returned on Monday, he was fired. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. However, St. Jude says there was no such program at the hospital. From 2017: https://bit.ly/3hXJccx So as Duntsch operated on Efurd, he quarreled with Kissinger and his supervisors, insisting on a craniotomy for Brown. among the top 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. 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. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a motion to intervene in the suits to defend Baylor Plano, citing the Texas legislature's 2003 statute that placed a medical malpractice cap of $250,000, and removed the term "gross negligence" from the definition of legal malice. He completed a spine fellowship program at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Memphis for his surgical residency, spending the standard five years on neurosurgery and one-year learning general surgery. 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. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. Texas man recalls losing his wife to 'Dr. Death' in shocking doc: 'My Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. She says she even filed a temporary protective order against him in April 2012, after he showed up banging on her window at 2 am. Before working with him, Dr. Hoyle said that he didnt know how to feel about his fellow surgeon. His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. They have two sons. He was a forty-five-year-old man with typical back problems. Robert Lowes. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. [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. 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. She witnessed Duntsch put on his lab coat and make his rounds the following morning as if nothing had happened. Dr. Duntsch assured Muse that the pain was normal and prescribed him, strong pain killers, causing him to spiral into an addiction. Death. After undergoing physical rehabilitation, Mayfield was able to walk with a cane but continued to experience paralysis on the right side of his body and in his left arm. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. [4][49], Last edited on 14 February 2023, at 04:48, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Plano, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, "Dr. Duntsch defense expert: "The only way this happens is the entire system fails the patients", "Plano Doctor Suspended After Two Patient Deaths", "Former Neurosurgeon Faces Life In Prison After Guilty Verdict", "What Was Dr. Christopher Duntsch's Background And Why Were People So Impressed With The Man Later Known As 'Dr. by Saul Elbein. The board called in veteran neurosurgeon Martin Lazar to review the case. MISI representatives stated he would brag about his capabilities and be critical of the work of other surgeons. Listen to Dr. Death | S1: Dr. Duntsch on TuneIn They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. Journalists must draw attention to the failures in the U.S. medical and legal systems that allowed Christopher Duntsch, the subject of journalist Laura Beil's well-regarded "Dr. Death" podcast series, to injure dozens of patients, members of an expert panel said at the "10 years after 'Dr. Death': Are patients any safer from bad doctors?" panel at Health Journalism 2022 in Austin. To stop the bleeding, he packed the space with so much anticoagulant foam that it constricted Summers' spine. 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. She said she thought that he was going to make millions, Kimberly Morgan's friend once said her attraction to Christopher Duntsch. 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. Duntsch was fired after he performed a surgery and immediately left for Las Vegas, leaving no one to look after his patient. 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. She bled so much that blood was saturating the blue draping around her body and dripping onto the floor. ", You know in the beginning he talked about marriage. It's hard to find a lawyer willing to jump through these hoops no matter how negligent the doctor was, because Texas limits non-economic damages in most cases to $250,000 per doctor. Young had family in Dallas and decided she would go with him if he picked that city. There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. Kirby warned him again that it was only a matter of time. 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. Before he was "Dr. Death" on Wondery's hit 2018 podcast, disgraced former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was a student at Colorado State University. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding. Facebook Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch. Dr. Hassan Chahadeh, the owner, said when Duntsch had applied for privileges, his record was clean. The first season of Dr. Death, which launched in 2018 and ran for seven episodes, examined the life and horrific crimes of Christopher Duntsch. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. On November 7, 2011, Dr. Duntsch was scheduled to perform his first surgery at Baylor Plano on Kenneth Fennell for his back pain. Passmore met with Dr. Duntsch and was impressed by his confidence; he would fix him. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. You'd like to think . My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. But when he awoke and was experiencing extreme pain, Dr. Duntsch said that surgery had been a success and there had been no complications. Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. Dhruv Trivedi. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." Did Christopher Duntsch have a wife and kids? If Baylor Plano or Dallas Medical had reported him to the Texas Medical Board or the National Practitioner Databank, hiring personnel would have been notified something was wrong. He then packed it with too much of a substance intended to stop the bleeding. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. 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.". He later recalled that he read about Martin's death on the day before the surgery, but Duntsch cursed him out when he called to ask about it. executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison. He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. The staff told Duntsch that Brown, his patient from the day before, was in critical condition. At the time, Duntsch was looking for operating prospects in Dallas, San Diego, and New York. Immediately, he started yelling and cussing at me, saying, 'How dare you? Fennell is in constant pain, and it took several months of rehabilitation before he could begin to walk with a cane. [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. 0:05. [19][16] 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. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. She was 27, and he was 40. 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. Duntsch also removed so much bone and muscle tissue from Summers' neck that his head was no longer secure on his body. Dr. Death: Disgraced surgeon at center of podcast, show has CSU roots Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. 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. [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. 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. Due to the debilitating pain, Fennell later had a second operation by Duntsch to relieve it, and was left significantly paralyzed in his legs. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. He recommended fusing two of her vertebrae and the insertion of "hardware" in her spinal area. [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. Henderson then cleaned out bone fragments and discovered that one of Efurd's nerve roots was gone entirely. But he yearned to play linebacker for a Division 1 team and set his sights on the Colorado State Rams. 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.". Caroline is a writer and Florida-transplant currently living in New York City. Christopher Duntsch. 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. All the while, the operating room staff questioned whether Duntsch was putting hardware into Efurd in the right places and noticed he kept drilling and removing screws. They didn't have enough evidence to stop him because he hadn't done anything wrong yet. After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. 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. [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]. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. 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 . Duntsch moved into a five-bedroom house not far from the hospital. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed. Boop said that Duntsch spent his final year as an attending physician and could not operate independently. 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. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. Duntsch had removed part of his femoral nerve.
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