[19] Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. Young said that Morgan visited often. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. 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. Duntsch recommended fusing Morguloff's L5-S1 vertebrae, and the surgery was scheduled for January 11, 2012. The problem was that Dallas Medical Center did not perform those or even have the proper equipment to do them. But police say an email Duntsch wrote in 2011 points to his mind-set in the months before he "intentionally, knowingly and . He claimed he was the best in Dallas. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and Christopher was determined to follow in those footsteps. Duntsch's next patient was Jeff Glidewell. Dr. Duntsch said to Cheney, "I don't know why you're this way. He was brilliant. Around 2006 and 2007, Duntsch began to become unhinged. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. Just one day after his suspension had ended, Duntsch operated on Kellie Martin. Dr. Death (2021 TV series) Dr. Death is an American crime drama miniseries created by Patrick Macmanus, based on the podcast of the same name, focusing on the titular Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who became infamous for permanently mutilating his patients, killing two of them. [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. Glidewell was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus and partial paralysis on his left side. He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 04:48. Floella Brown went under Dr. Deaths knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Duntsch, https://www.propublica.org/article/dr-death-christopher-duntsch-a-surgeon-so-bad-it-was-criminal, https://www.dmagazine.com/healthcare-business/2021/10/a-witness-to-dr-death-in-the-presence-of-a-sociopath/, https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2016/november/christopher-duntsch-dr-death/, https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/who-were-the-victims-of-dr-christopher-duntsch, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2014/03/02/planos-baylor-hospital-faces-hard-questions-after-claims-against-former-neurosurgeon/, https://www.texasobserver.org/anatomy-tragedy/, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2015/08/25/7-chilling-thoughts-of-jailed-neurosurgeon-christopher-duntsch/, https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/greg-abbott-enters-fray-in-lawsuits-involving-sociopath-doctor/, https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/02/a-jury-now-controls-the-fate-of-neurosurgeon-christopher-duntsch/, https://www.thedailybeast.com/victim-of-real-life-dr-death-believes-there-are-others-like-him-out-there?ref=scroll, https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/what-happened-to-discgenics-co-founded-by-dr-death-christopher-duntsch, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Morguloff-Complaint.pdf. The deal required Duntsch to attain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. [7] While operating on Jacqueline Troy, Duntsch cut one of her vocal cords and an artery and also damaged her trachea. A few days later, he took the test and passed. Duntsch was fired after he performed a surgery and immediately left for Las Vegas, leaving no one to look after his patient. Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. Duntsch had removed part of his femoral nerve. Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. Victim statements reveal more gruesome details of botched surgeries - WFAA 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 . Duntsch was suspected of having used cocaine the night before the operation. Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Prosecutors also faulted Duntsch's employers for not reporting him. 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. 5 years after 'Dr. Death,' doctors still come to Texas to leave pasts Kirby, Henderson, and another doctor decided to contact the district attorney, convinced that Duntsch's malpractice was so egregious it was criminal. 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. The two soon began dating and moving in together within three months. We've had a catastrophic event here. Dr. Christopher D. Duntsch, Inactive - Plano, TX - RateMDs Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. [4][5] In 2017, he was convicted of maiming one of his patients and sentenced to life imprisonment. Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. Podcast de Dr Death: La verdadera historia de Christopher Duntsch que As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email written by Christopher Duntsch. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. His older son had been born back when he was at Baylor Plano. On top of this, he misspelled both Kukekov and Ignatova's names. However, things soon went south. 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. The series peers into the torturous crimes of . In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. 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. Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971. The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations ran out. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch has been sentenced to life in prison for a series of botched spinal surgeries, reports CBS . Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. 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 . "Dr. Death" is based on the chart-topping podcast of the same name that, in turn, is based on the horrifying true story of Christopher Duntsch. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. The databank was established in 1990 and tracks malpractice payouts and adverse actions against doctors, such as being fired, banned from Medicare, handed a lengthy suspension, or having their license suspended or revoked. He ran two labs, gained experience writing grants, and earned more than $3 million in funding for research projects. 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." Plano's 'Doctor Death': The Christopher Duntsch case - YouTube [48], In 2019, Duntsch was the focus of the premiere episode of License to Kill, Oxygen's series on criminal medical professionals. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . Christopher Duntsch - Wikipedia Duntsch pierced and blocked her vertebral artery with a misplaced screw and refused to stop despite the massive blood loss. Dr. Duntsch came from a good family and showed considerable potential at medical school. Getty Dr. Duntsch, aka "Dr. Death", operated on his last patient in 2013, before he was arrested. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. The day that Brown suffered her stroke, Duntsch operated again. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971)[1] is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death[2] for gross malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients' spines and two deaths while working at hospitals in the DallasFort Worth metroplex. [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. She bled to death . Jeff Glidewell came across Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2013 while searching for a neurosurgeon . Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. 0:05. Trusty was never told she was participating in an infomercial and believed Duntsch had been selected as the top neurosurgeon in Dallas and was participating in a video about the award. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. She was 27, and he was 40. Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand to prove that his actions were intentional. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. One screw was jabbed directly into her spinal canal and had skewered the nerves that control one leg and the bladder. However, he sewed up Glidewell with the sponge still in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. Christopher Duntsch: The Remorseless Killer Surgeon Called 'Dr. Death' There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. Who Were The Victims Of Dr. Christopher Duntsch? | True Crime Buzz The Untold Truth Of Dr. Death - Grunge.com Neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr Death: Evil Lives 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. 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. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . Dr. Robert Henderson was brought in on July 28, 2012, to perform a revision surgery on Efurd. D Magazine gave him the nickname in . For instance, he came to work wearing the same tattered scrubs for three days in a row. Christopher Duntsch: A Review of Clinicide - Walsh Medical Media She was transferred to a Dallas hospital after suffering from a severe infection, and Randal Kirby was asked to operate on her. Was Wendy Renee Young Dr. Death's Wife? - Heavy.com 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 . 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. No one can pay to remove ratings. February 21, 2017 / 5:45 AM / CBS News. She suffered a stroke as a result. However, it wouldnt be long until Duntschs seemingly perfect career began to unravel. Christopher Duntsch is confirmed to have injured 31 patients and killed two . But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his vast financial issues. They talked about marriage quickly, and they moved in together within three months. He is currently appealing this sentence. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. Efurd was left paralyzed. 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. He realized he'd seen that hole for three straight days Duntsch hadn't changed his scrubs all week. Mr. 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]. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Wendy Young knew her ex-boyfriend Christopher Duntsch's medical career was unraveling, but she wasn't prepared for what she said was his bizarre behavior that coincided with his fall from grace as a surgeon.. The case status is Disposed - Other Disposed. Morguloff sought a second opinion on his excruciating pain from Dr. Michael Desaloms. 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. Christopher Duntsch | True Crime Buzz | Oxygen Official Site is a beautiful and populous city located in Montana U.S. . Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. It involves the case of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a spinal neurosurgeon who left a trail of dead and permanently disabled . [9][16], As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email in which Duntsch boasted 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. Dr. Death in surgery. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. According to D Magazine, Duntsch did so well in medical school that he was allowed to join the prestigiousAlpha Omega Medical Honor Society. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. The bad doctor: A health care worker doing harm - Plano Magazine Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears. 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.". 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. After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. But soon his patients started to experience complications, and the system failed to protect them. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing 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.". After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. They didn't have enough evidence to stop him because he hadn't done anything wrong yet. 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.". Christopher Duntsch Texas True Crime Blog Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. Dhruv Trivedi. [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. "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop him.". executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? - The US Sun Passmore says if he settles, he is allowing the hospital to continue to get away with their negligence. [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. 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. Jeff Glidewell Today: Where Is Dr. Death's Last Patient Now? - Heavy.com 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. 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. 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. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. 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. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. by Saul Elbein. Ellis Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas. Passmore met with Dr. Duntsch and was impressed by his confidence; he would fix him. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. [9] He was suspected of being under the influence of cocaine while operating during his fourth year of residency training, and was sent to a program for impaired physicians. Dr. Christopher Duntsch's patients ended up maimed and dead, but the real tragedy is that the Texas Medical Board couldn't stop him. Advertisement. "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. He didn't contact a lawyer, although he struggled with the decision. 'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - Peoplemag Why do Slipknot wear masks and what do they look like without? She was left with just one vocal cord. 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. Jeff Cheney later learned that part of his spinal cord had been cut during the operation. So as Duntsch operated on Efurd, he quarreled with Kissinger and his supervisors, insisting on a craniotomy for Brown. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Plans start at $4.99/month. Christopher Duntsch, known as "Dr. Death" tried to explain himself in rambling emails, but he only made things worse for his criminal case. When he woke, he could not move anything on the right side of his body. He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. During surgery, Duntsch damaged Summers' vertebral artery causing it to bleed uncontrollably. "[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. Duntsch told his friends and family that Passmore would be fine in a day or two and to not worry about it. The night before his surgery, he read online about Kellie Martin's death just months earlier. Kirby arrived and transferred Glidewell to a top-tier hospital to perform an emergency operation to remove the sponge. Summers asked Duntsch to fix his chronic neck pain from a high school football injury that had gotten worse after a car accident. 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. He was smart. Just weeks after permanently maiming Morguloff, Dr. Duntsch operated on his lifelong friend and roommate, Jerry Summers. The hospital called Rimlawi when it couldn't reach his colleague. ", "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? [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. 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. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. Henderson then cleaned out bone fragments and discovered that one of Efurd's nerve roots was gone entirely. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. [14] He persuaded Young to come with him; Young agreed, since she had grown up in the Dallas area. According to court documents, surgeons at the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute soon grew suspicious of Duntsch. In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, Dr. Randall Kirbysays of Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". As he lay there in agony, Duntsch was nowhere to be found. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. Finally, Dr. Kirby received a call from Hassan Chahadeh. Duntsch is a serial maimer and killer. Joshua Jackson Is Game, but 'Dr. Death' Lacks Insight: TV - Variety The explanation was enough to satisfy Muse. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, a neurosurgery resident does about 1,000 operations during training. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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 . 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. It was then that Christopher decided to switch his career to medicine. However, part of the problem was proving that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. Did Christopher Duntsch have a wife and kids? His sophomore year, he made it as one of the few walk-on players. [33][34] The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations were to run out.
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