By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. However, he sewed up Glidewell with the sponge still in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. 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. Duntsch stuffed Glidewell's throat with a surgical sponge to attempt to stop the bleeding. Could you take care of it?" 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. Anatomy of a Tragedy. The problem was that Dallas Medical Center did not perform those or even have the proper equipment to do them. Moving made sense for both of them. His case is receiving renewed attention in the media. Then check out the horrifying story of Simon Bramhall, a surgeon who admitted to burning his initials into patients livers. Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. In 2005, partway through the six-year program, he became the director of the tissue bank. "After building a flourishing neurosurgery practice, everything suddenly changes when patients entering Dr. Duntsch's operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries start leaving permanently disabled or dead. The pressure was building inside her brain. He was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus, and partial paralysis on his left side. Then, on December 6, 2011, he operated on seventy-four-year-old Mary Efurd. [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. [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. 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. Everything went perfect in there." One of the early investors in DiscGenics, Rand Page, said Duntsch would be mixing a vodka orange juice during their morning meetings. However, things soon went south. 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. 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. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. In 2014, he developed syringomyelia, a painful condition that causes fluid-filled cysts on the spinal cord. Jerry Summers, who grew up with Christopher Duntsch in Tennessee, was left a quadriplegic after agreeing to let "Dr. Death" operate on his neck. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. Dr. Christopher Duntsch appeared to havean impressive resume, but left a trail ofpain and devastation for those who trusted him with their health. He refused to abort the surgery even after a trauma surgeon colleague and an anesthesiologist warned him about the blood loss. As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email written by Christopher Duntsch. 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. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. Dr. Christopher Duntsch's patients ended up maimed and dead, but the real tragedy is that the Texas Medical Board couldn't stop him. Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through . 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. (Dallas County Jail via AP) Gift Article. 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. Ratings for Dr. Christopher D. Duntsch, Inactive. The series follows two other surgeons, along with . [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. 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. "[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. He was told he would never be able to walk again. Christopher Duntsch - AKA Dr. Death - spent 18 months as a practicing surgeon at multiple Texas hospitals until he had his license revoked in 2013. Why do Slipknot wear masks and what do they look like without? While there, he damaged patient Jeff Cheney's spinal cord, leaving him without feeling on the right side of his body. Before working with him, Dr. Hoyle said that he didnt know how to feel about his fellow surgeon. 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. Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand to prove that his actions were intentional. Efurd eventually gained back some control and mobility, but she now uses a wheelchair and suffers chronic pain. Troy was sedated for weeks and forced to eat through a feeding tube because food was getting into her lungs. Duntsch also appears in no yearbooks during the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D. 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. [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. 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 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. Pic credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office. In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. I am sorry in advance that this blog post is so long. 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. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Morguloff had become addicted to the pain killers being prescribed to him by this time. 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. [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. After a fall in her kitchen, Martin experienced chronic back pain and sought out surgery to alleviate it. One screw was jabbed directly into her spinal canal and had skewered the nerves that control one leg and the bladder. 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. ", "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? Dr. Phil airs on weekdays. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and . She also said that he kept a pile of cocaine on his dresser in his home office. On top of this, he misspelled both Kukekov and Ignatova's names. At one point, he was only able to eat small bites of food at one time. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. At one point, an assisting surgeon named Dr. Hoyle observed Duntsch performing such alarming and erratic behavior; he grabbed his hands and pleaded with him to stop. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. When he woke, he could not move anything on the right side of his body. Duntsch's next patient was Jeff Glidewell. He then packed it with too much of a substance intended to stop the bleeding. 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 October 2011, she registered articles of incorporation to form Duntsch's practice, the Texas Neurosurgical Institute. She was 27, and he was 40. [29] Texas Attorney General and current Governor 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. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. Jeff Cheney later learned that part of his spinal cord had been cut during the operation. 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. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . He realized he'd seen that hole for three straight days Duntsch hadn't changed his scrubs all week. 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. Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch first met in 2011 at a Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. Baylor Plano again ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. Dr. Fulton never worked with Duntsch again. In the end, Floella Brown never regained consciousness because Duntsch refused to transfer her to another doctor in time, and her family had to remove her from life support. 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. They didn't have enough evidence to stop him because he hadn't done anything wrong yet. 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. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. Duntsch was suspected of having used cocaine the night before the operation. Death'? For instance, he came to work wearing the same tattered scrubs for three days in a row. [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. After the operation, Brown woke up and seemed fine, but early the following day; she lost consciousness. 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. "It's a miracle," she said in the infomercial later promoted on his website. The surgical disasters of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch led to his jailing in 2017, setting a legal precedent. Lee Passmore was thirty-seven and worked as a field agent for the Collin County medical examiner. [9][24][19][7] After several days, Kirby was brought in to repair the damage and later described what he found after opening Glidewell back up as the work of a "crazed maniac". Passmore focused on recovery and getting back to work in the months following his surgery. He was smart. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. The last charge was for the maiming and paralyzing of Efurd. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. Duntsch was in a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young, after the pair met at a bar in Memphis when she was 27 and he was 40. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch has been sentenced to life in prison for a series of botched spinal surgeries, reports CBS . The case status is Disposed - Other Disposed. Now, his time at the university . Learn more. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. Despite all of this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Homesick, Duntsch left Colorado after a year and transferred to Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. But, she never reported Duntsch up the ladder or told anyone about the horrors she witnessed in the operating room. However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. July 14, 2021. 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. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? Every victim deserves to have their story told, and unfortunately, Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, has 33. The nursing staff put down towels to soak it up. His girlfriend, Wendy Young, had a second son in September 2014. among the top 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. [7] He likened what he found when he opened Efurd up to the results of a child playing with Tinkertoys or an erector set. 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. Kirby was shocked; he called the owner of University General and warned him that Duntsch would hurt someone, and the hospital would be over. His CV also conveyed he earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from St. Jude Children's Research Hospitals, graduating summa cum laude. 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 did not respond to messages from the hospital for a few hours, then the next day scheduled an elective surgery on Efurd rather than care for Brown. 3-Jeff Glidewell, another victim of Duntsch's. 4-Michelle Shugart, the woman who brought this all to fruition . Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. The two went back to Duntsch's home and danced under a disco ball he had in his office. He was brilliant. [7][28][16], 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. The staff told Duntsch that Brown, his patient from the day before, was in critical condition. 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." Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. Plans start at $4.99/month. Passmore told D Magazine during an interview that he is uncomfortable receiving any attention but knows he must do so if anyone is going to listen. 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. 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 . Finally, Dr. Kirby received a call from Hassan Chahadeh. Dr. Death in surgery. Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of . Duntsch earned his undergraduate degree in 1995 and enrolled at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. February 21, 2017 / 5:45 AM / CBS News. When Kirby learned the details, he immediately asked the doctor who referred the case to him about the surgeon: "Is it a guy named Christopher Duntsch?" As a young neurosurgeon in Texas, Duntsch killed . 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. Before the surgery, Kirby related that Duntsch said he was the best spine surgeon in Dallas and the only spine surgeon trained in minimally invasive spine surgery. [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. 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]. MISI representatives stated he would brag about his capabilities and be critical of the work of other surgeons. In September 2012, Jeff Cheney went to Duntsch to relieve the pain that had moved from his shoulder down to his arm. Lazar was scathingly critical of Duntsch's work. Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. He earned his M.D. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? Chahadeh was worried about his facility and getting sued by Duntsch; he said to Dr. Kirby that they had already given him privileges. He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage. 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. [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. In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. Three holes had been poked into Efurd's spinal column where Duntsch had tried and failed to insert screws. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. 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. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. When Martin awoke from anesthesia, she was screaming and clawing at her legs which had become patchy and full of purple streaks and spots. Even though he lived in Colorado, he returned to Dallas to see his two sons. Barry Morguloff, the owner of a pool service company, was left with bone fragments in his spinal canal after Duntsch tried to pull a damaged, Jerry Summers, a longtime friend of Duntsch's, came to Plano to have, Kellie Martin was undergoing a routine back operation when Duntsch cut through her spinal cord and severed an artery. 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. But he yearned to play linebacker for a Division 1 team and set his sights on the Colorado State Rams. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. The explanation was enough to satisfy Muse. 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. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . [8] Duntsch returned home to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). 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. During a deposition, Megan Krane recalled Duntsch eating a paper blotter of LSD and taking prescription painkillers on his birthday. 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. Although he wasn't a talented athlete, he trained for hours on his own and made it as a linebacker on his high school football team at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis. 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. Jodi Smith. Dr. Death in surgery. 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. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. [7] While operating on Jacqueline Troy, Duntsch cut one of her vocal cords and an artery and also damaged her trachea. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing 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. It was determined during the repair surgery that Dr. Duntsch had not even been operating on the correct part of Jeff Glidewell's spine. When Jerry Summers woke up, he couldn't move his arms or legs. Christopher Duntsch is confirmed to have injured 31 patients and killed two . 0:57. Duntsch is at the O. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." 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 Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. Efurd was left paralyzed. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed. There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. 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. 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. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. [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. The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. [4] In an article for The Texas Prosecutor, the journal of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, Shughart and the other members of the trial team recalled that their superiors were initially skeptical when they presented the case, but eventually found themselves in "overwhelming disbelief" that a surgeon could do what Duntsch was accused of doing. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. Evil Lives Here: Shadows Of Death is investigating the numerous crimes of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who was nicknamed Dr. Death after causing pain, suffering, and even death to multiple patients over the course of two years. Kirby arrived and transferred Glidewell to a top-tier hospital to perform an emergency operation to remove the sponge. "[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. February 22, 2017. However, Mayfield still woke up with paralysis on occasion. Your trust is important to us. He was tragically mistaken. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. 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. [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. [9] Texas Medical Board Revocation Order. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. [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. 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.
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