[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. Advertisement. [44] The Dallas County district attorney's office called it "a historic case with respect to prosecuting a doctor who had done wrong during surgery. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. 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 time on 53-year-old Mary Efurd. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. Christopher Duntsch, once a supremely confident neurosurgeon with a solid rsum and a wealth of potential, fled town in disgrace last year under a scalding cascade . Duntsch filed a patent for the technology, and he listed himself as one of the inventors even though he had not discovered it. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . They have two sons. 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 staff told Duntsch that Brown, his patient from the day before, was in critical condition. 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. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. Even though he lived in Colorado, he returned to Dallas to see his two sons. To top it all off, he was operating on the wrong portion of her back. Jerry Summers believed that his best friend Christopher Duntsch was a talented neurosurgeon who would cure his chronic neck pain. It was Duntsch, babbling about his family being in danger. 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. Summers remained quadriplegic for the rest of his life. He didn't wear underwear. Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 . Dr. Phil airs on weekdays. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. Fennell is in constant pain, and it took several months of rehabilitation before he could begin to walk with a cane. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. While Kirby was repairing Troy, he uncovered that Duntsch had pinned her esophagus under a plate near her spine and poked holes in her trachea. Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971) is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death for gross malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients' spines and two deaths while working at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.. Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before his license was revoked by the . 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. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . The two went back to Duntsch's home and danced under a disco ball he had in his office. and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee Health Center. He was told he would never be able to walk again. That same month, the two began an affair. This case was filed in Dallas County District Courts, Dallas County Civil District Courts located in Dallas, Texas. Death'? Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. Had Duntsch been fired, Baylor Plano would have been required to report him to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), which is intended to flag problematic physicians. 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. She suffered a stroke as a result. 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. Over the course of 18-months, the nefarious ex-surgeon performed a spree of botched . This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn into Dr. Death. [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. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Duntsch, aka Dr Death, was sentenced to life in prison in 2017, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. Kirby, Henderson, and another doctor decided to contact the district attorney, convinced that Duntsch's malpractice was so egregious it was criminal. [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. A disc in his lower spine had blown out, and the pieces had to be picked out of the space above. In 2017, Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of maiming one of his patients. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. Hoyle called the surgery sloppy enough to cancel the remaining four operations he had scheduled with Duntsch and vowed never to work with him again. 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. 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. 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. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical 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.". According to his lawyers, Duntsch had not realized how poorly he had performed as a surgeon until he heard the prosecution experts tell the jury about his many blunders on the operating table. I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage. Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of hospital oversight. His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. As those watching the show know, Christopher was dubbed "Dr. Death" in D Magazine . After the operation, Brown woke up and seemed fine, but early the following day; she lost consciousness. Baylor officials took Summers' accusation seriously and ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. Now, one of the several complaints against the . He was wearing the shirt of his black scrubs, and it was covered in blood. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. In addition, a ligament in his leg was severed, and a screw was stripped and lodged into a nerve bundle. 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. 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. [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. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. Could you take care of it?" Page opened a desk drawer and saw a mirror with a pile of cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most think. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. It was. However, he sewed up Glidewell with the sponge still in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. For instance, he came to work wearing the same tattered scrubs for three days in a row. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. 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. He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. July 14, 2021. Kirby arrived and transferred Glidewell to a top-tier hospital to perform an emergency operation to remove the sponge. 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 . Jerry Summers believed that his best friend Christopher Duntsch was a talented neurosurgeon who would cure his chronic neck pain. He avoided it and disappeared for several days. The night before his surgery, he read online about Kellie Martin's death just months earlier. Duntsch recommended fusing Morguloff's L5-S1 vertebrae, and the surgery was scheduled for January 11, 2012. However, St. Jude says there was no such program at the hospital. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . CHRISTOPHER Duntsch, is infamously known as Dr Death for gross malpractice. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. Learn more. Morguloff had become addicted to the pain killers being prescribed to him by this time. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. (Dallas County Jail via AP) Gift Article. Dr. Henderson thought the operation on Mary Efurd was so botched that Christopher Duntsch had to be an imposter. His case is receiving renewed attention in the media. [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. Duntsch, once a neurosurgeon, is the focal point of the new streaming Peacock docuseries "Dr. Death." D Magazine gave him the nickname in its reporting in 2016. [38][39] On December 10, 2018, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed Duntsch's conviction by a 21 split decision. by Saul Elbein. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. The television series Dr. Death based on the incident, began streaming on Peacock in July 2021. When he woke up, he was a quadriplegic with incomplete paralysis. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. Jerry Summers, who grew up with Christopher Duntsch in Tennessee, was left a quadriplegic after agreeing to let "Dr. Death" operate on his neck. She was 27, and he was 40. 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. He was put on probation for three weeks and told to stick to relatively minor procedures when he returned. Three holes had been poked into Efurd's spinal column where Duntsch had tried and failed to insert screws. Homesick, Duntsch left Colorado after a year and transferred to Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. 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. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. Your trust is important to us. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. As a result, Summers lost almost 1,200 mL of blood. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. Dr. Death in surgery. However, it wasn't clear how much training Duntsch received. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and . The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. 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. In October 2011, she registered articles of incorporation to form Duntsch's practice, the Texas Neurosurgical Institute. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. He was smart. At the time of their meeting, Young was working as a dancer in a strip club. His first and only surgery with MISI was on a Thursday in September 2011 at Baylor Plano. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. It was then that Christopher decided to switch his career to medicine. [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. He Was Also His Victim. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. Dr Deathis a new limited series about the rise and fall of Duntsch. Duntsch had removed part of his femoral nerve. 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. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. 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. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears. 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. Fennell required months of rehabilitation to be able to walk with a cane, and was left unable to walk for more than 30 feet or stand for more than a few minutes without having to sit down again. [3], Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board. Boop said that Duntsch spent his final year as an attending physician and could not operate independently. Christopher Duntsch ended up at Millsaps College in Mississippi to play football and was offered financial aid. The hospital called Rimlawi when it couldn't reach his colleague. "[20][4] Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. Premiering Thursday on . Christopher Duntsch is confirmed to have injured 31 patients and killed two . In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. On top of this, he misspelled both Kukekov and Ignatova's names. However, the surgery had to be moved to November 14 because Duntsch had failed to order the appropriate surgical hardware and equipment. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . "[38], 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. [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. Lazar was scathingly critical of Duntsch's work. Even worse, some of the patients never got the chance to wake up. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. Ghostbar, Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. No one came out and spoke with Kellie Martin's family or informed them of her condition during this time. They talked about marriage quickly, and they moved in together within three months. Just one day after his suspension had ended, Duntsch operated on Kellie Martin. Dhruv Trivedi. He stalled at first, telling administrators he got lost on the way to the lab. Death' found guilty of maiming woman during surgery", "Former neurosurgeon sentenced for purposely maiming patients", "Doctor convicted of botched surgery gets life in prison", "Christopher Daniel Duntsch v. The State of Texas Appeal from Criminal District Court No. 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. Baylor suspended Duntsch, pictured, for a month. She was left with just one vocal cord. "Based on a hit podcast and inspired by the terrifying true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a young and charismatic star in the Texas medical community," Peacock explains about the series. 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. 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. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed. 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 . 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. 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. While there, he damaged patient Jeff Cheney's spinal cord, leaving him without feeling on the right side of his body. With Brown still in the ICU, Duntsch took another patient into surgery that morning. Duntsch is a serial maimer and killer. [2][4][19][7], Duntsch moved to Dallas Medical Center in Farmers Branch, where he was granted temporary privileges until hospital officials could obtain his records from Baylor Plano. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. And its all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. "[45], Wondery Media launched a ten-episode podcast series named Dr. Death, focusing on Duntsch. Unfortunately, when Fennell woke up from surgery, he was paralyzed from the waist down. She bled to death . 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. Baylor wanted Duntsch operating quickly and often so they could be reimbursed for the monies they had advanced to him. Dallas-based surgeon Christopher Duntsch was also the subject of a Wondery podcast titled "Dr. Death." (Dallas County Jail) The indictment accused Duntsch of wide-ranging malpractice, including . He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. 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. Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. To stop the bleeding, he packed the space with so much anticoagulant foam that it constricted Summers' spine. Dr. She was transferred to a Dallas hospital after suffering from a severe infection, and Randal Kirby was asked to operate on her. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. The pressure was building inside her brain. DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. In April 2015, Duntsch was arrested again for shoplifting $887 worth of merchandise from a Dallas Walmart. Berry Morguloff was Dr. Duntsch's next unsuspecting victim. The first season of Dr. Death, which launched in 2018 and ran for seven episodes, examined the life and horrific crimes of Christopher Duntsch. [7], Shughart argued that Duntsch should have known he was likely to 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. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. She bled so much that blood was saturating the blue draping around her body and dripping onto the floor. Jodi Smith. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. He is currently appealing this sentence. [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. On May 24, 2011, Christopher Duntsch signed a physician services agreement with Rimlawi and Won's Minimally Invasive Spine Institute (MISI) in Dallas. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. The case highlights the risks of allowing a troubled physician to move to another hospital . Dr. Robert Henderson was brought in on July 28, 2012, to perform a revision surgery on Efurd. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. Moving made sense for both of them. He said, "Randy, you were right. i feel much better now ! "[4] The Texas Medical Board revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. [10][7], Duntsch completed his residency having participated in fewer than 100 surgeries. Plans start at $4.99/month. Duntsch also appears in no yearbooks during the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. When Duntsch finally returned on Monday, he was fired. 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. 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. MISI representatives stated he would brag about his capabilities and be critical of the work of other surgeons. [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. 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. Around 2006 and 2007, Duntsch began to become unhinged. [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL.