They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. 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. The True Story Of Christopher Duntsch, The Killer Surgeon Known As Dr. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. It told the unfortunately true story of Doctor Christopher Duntsch, who was eventually sentenced to life in prison for maiming an elderly patient. 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. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. Moving made sense for both of them. He later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . [12], Initially, Duntsch focused heavily on the PhD half of his degree. Kirby warned him again that it was only a matter of time. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. "It's on the butt cheek of his scrubs. He Was Also His Victim. Homesick, Duntsch left Colorado after a year and transferred to Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. Now, his time at the university . However, he ignored them and proceeded with his scheduled surgery on Efurd. She was moved to the ICU and died due to blood loss. Even if a plaintiff wins the maximum award, after you pay your lawyer and your experts and go through, potentially, years of trial, not much is left. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. Death.. 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. 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. Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. [7], Henderson later recalled wondering if Duntsch was an impostor; he could not believe that a real surgeon would botch Efurd's surgery so badly. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. My experience with this doctor has been great. Duntsch earned his undergraduate degree in 1995 and enrolled at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. 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. He was smart. 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." He avoided it and disappeared for several days. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. In addition, a ligament in his leg was severed, and a screw was stripped and lodged into a nerve bundle. Facebook Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch. Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand to prove that his actions were intentional. Duntsch also removed so much bone and muscle tissue from Summers' neck that his head was no longer secure on his body. 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.. While they were in the lab working, Duntsch went to work raising money for a company he called DiscGenics. 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. 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 . Advertisements. 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. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. Lee Passmore was thirty-seven and worked as a field agent for the Collin County medical examiner. executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? [19], In July 2015, approximately a year and a half after his license was revoked, Duntsch was arrested in Dallas and charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person. She was left with just one vocal cord. However, on January 6, 2012, a week after the surgery, Dr. Duntsch performed another operation on Passmore. Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch is one of the most infamous doctors ever brought to trial in a criminal case, and with good reason. He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. Jeff Cheney later learned that part of his spinal cord had been cut during the operation. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. Christopher Duntsch ended up at Millsaps College in Mississippi to play football and was offered financial aid. ", "Assault trial begins for Dallas surgeon who once wrote of becoming 'cold blooded killer', "The State of Texas vs. Christopher Daniel Dunstch", "Life Sentence Upheld on Appeal For Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death", "What you need to know about 'Dr. ", "Greg Abbott Enters Fray in Lawsuits Involving "Sociopath" Doctor", "Abbott sides with Baylor hospital in neurosurgeon lawsuit", "Who Are Robert Henderson And Randall Kirby, The Surgeons Who Tried To Stop 'Dr. 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. Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. The operation should have taken less than ninety minutes; it ultimately lasted four and a half hours. Left: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. However, Duntsch was allowed to resign, and the hospital didn't notify the National Practitioner Data Bankagain. The case status is Disposed - Other Disposed. The surgery was scheduled for December 30, 2011. 2-Dr.Randall Kirby, a hero. It was. She witnessed Duntsch put on his lab coat and make his rounds the following morning as if nothing had happened. In October 2011, she registered articles of incorporation to form Duntsch's practice, the Texas Neurosurgical Institute. According to court documents, surgeons at the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute soon grew suspicious of Duntsch. Prosecutors also faulted Duntsch's employers for not reporting him. However, it wouldnt be long until Duntschs seemingly perfect career began to unravel. 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. 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. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. In December 2012, Jacqueline Troy was left barely able to speak above a whisper after Duntsch cut her vocal cords and one of her arteries. Duntsch operated and flew out to Las Vegas without securing a call physician. Young had family in Dallas and decided she would go with him if he picked that city. 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. The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. [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. Immediately, he started yelling and cussing at me, saying, 'How dare you? "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." "He said the patient died from having an allergic reaction to the anesthesia." Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. He knew this couldn't have been a one-time mistake. From 2017: https://bit.ly/3hXJccx 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. 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 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. [38] Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Chris Dozois, a fellow linebacker with the Rams, recalled Duntsch struggling, even with basic drills, but begging to run them over and over until he got it right. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. The staff told Duntsch that Brown, his patient from the day before, was in critical condition. [35], The last charge was for the maiming and paralyzing of Efurd. Baylor officials took Summers' accusation seriously and ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. He was put on probation for three weeks and told to stick to relatively minor procedures when he returned. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football.[7]. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. However, it wasn't clear how much training Duntsch received. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. A Texas jury found Christopher Duntsch guilty Feb. 14 of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. 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 refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 04:48. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. Death. An investigator by trade and nature, Passmore started digging into Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Wendy Renee Young was romantically involved with Texas physician Christopher Duntsch, who became known as "Dr . The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations ran out. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . 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. Dr. Death in surgery. He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and . [33][34] The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations were to run out. Several people who were in the operating room for Efurd's surgery suspected that Duntsch might have been intoxicated, recalling that his pupils were dilated. Duntsch recommended fusing Morguloff's L5-S1 vertebrae, and the surgery was scheduled for January 11, 2012. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, Alec Baldwin as Robert Henderson, Christian Slater as Randall Kirby and AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart. 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.". 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. 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 . Duntsch boasted to his assistant and mistress, Kimberly Morgan, that he was " ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold-blooded killer." When he arrived, Nurse Kyle Kissinger spotted a hole in Duntsch's scrubs. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. His girlfriend, Wendy Young, had a second son in September 2014. Promising Beginnings. [7] He lasted for less than a week before administrators pulled his privileges after the death of a patient, Floella Brown, and the maiming of another, Mary Efurd. She came in to have two vertebrae fused, but when she woke up she experienced severe pain and couldnt stand. [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. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. 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.". (Dallas County Jail via AP) Gift Article. by Saul Elbein. Page opened a desk drawer and saw a mirror with a pile of cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. As those watching the show know, Christopher was dubbed "Dr. Death" in D Magazine . In September 2012, Jeff Cheney went to Duntsch to relieve the pain that had moved from his shoulder down to his arm. Morgan didn't follow Duntsch after he left, however. 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. 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. Mayfield was taken to a different hospital and told his spinal cord had already been deformed, and the damage was irreversible. By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. Premiering Thursday on . Soon after starting Efurd's surgery, Duntsch turned to Kissinger and told him he would be performing a craniotomy on Floella Brown. So as Duntsch operated on Efurd, he quarreled with Kissinger and his supervisors, insisting on a craniotomy for Brown. Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. 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. The television series Dr. Death based on the incident, began streaming on Peacock in July 2021. [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. Then, on December 6, 2011, he operated on seventy-four-year-old Mary Efurd. 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. [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. Passmore had a herniated disc in his lower spine pressing on a nerve causing him pain. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. Boop said that Duntsch spent his final year as an attending physician and could not operate independently. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. This time on 53-year-old Mary Efurd. [4], After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd. Christopher Duntsch - AKA Dr. Death - spent 18 months as a practicing surgeon at multiple Texas hospitals until he had his license revoked in 2013. 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. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. Death'? Where is Kim Morgan Now? Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. 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.

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