He was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus, and partial paralysis on his left side. With Brown still in the ICU, Duntsch took another patient into surgery that morning. This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn into Dr. Death. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. 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 deal required Duntsch to attain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. She was transferred to a Dallas hospital after suffering from a severe infection, and Randal Kirby was asked to operate on her. The show starsJoshua Jackson,Grace Gummer, AnnaSophia Robb,Christian SlaterandAlec Baldwin. He was a genius. Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. He is not eligible for parole until 2045; he will be 74 years old by then. Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch is one of the most infamous doctors ever brought to trial in a criminal case, and with good reason. 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]. In his first surgery after his suspension lifted, he nicked the vertebral artery of Kellie Martin, a 55-year-old Garland woman. The Legislature has also made suing hospitals difficult. "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. His pain management specialist advised against an operation but referred him to a neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch. The surgery was supposed to take less than 45 minutes and ultimately lasted over four hours. You'd like to think . That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntschs patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. By the end of the week, administrators told Duntsch he would no longer be operating at Dallas Medical Center. Passmore had a herniated disc in his lower spine pressing on a nerve causing him pain. Christopher Duntsch ended up at Millsaps College in Mississippi to play football and was offered financial aid. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch operated and flew out to Las Vegas without securing a call physician. Advertisement. 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. After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. However, it wouldnt be long until Duntschs seemingly perfect career began to unravel. When Morgan asked Duntsch about the woman in his house, he said she was just his secretary and friend. She also said that he kept a pile of cocaine on his dresser in his home office. After several more months of botched surgeries, Duntsch finally lost his surgical privileges altogether in June 2013 after two physicians complained to the Texas Medical Board. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . 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. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. Around this time, Christopher Duntsch's behavior became noticeably erratic. Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. Duntsch pierced and blocked her vertebral artery with a misplaced screw and refused to stop despite the massive blood loss. D Magazine gave him the nickname in . She also said they snorted cocaine from a small pile he kept on a dresser in his home office. 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. Anatomy of a Tragedy. ", "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. Duntsch's next patient was Jeff Glidewell. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. ", You know in the beginning he talked about marriage. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. 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 . Everything went perfect in there." Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. Although she didn't think much of it and assumed Morgan was helping with research. [4][5] In 2017, he was convicted of maiming one of his patients and sentenced to life imprisonment. 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. Learn more. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. He also reported shooting pains throughout his body. Kirby was shocked; he called the owner of University General and warned him that Duntsch would hurt someone, and the hospital would be over. He remained there for several months before being allowed to return to the residency. Dr. Duntsch assured Muse that the pain was normal and prescribed him, strong pain killers, causing him to spiral into an addiction. The television series Dr. Death based on the incident, began streaming on Peacock in July 2021. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. According to Megan Kane, an ex-girlfriend of one of Duntschs friends, she saw him eat a paper blotter of LSD and take prescription painkillers on his birthday. ", "Surgeon who wrote of becoming killer is denied bail reduction", "Elderly couple attends court hoping for justice in Duntsch case", "Who Were The Victims Of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, Who Earned The Ominous Nickname 'Dr. Ghostbar, Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Dr Deathis a new limited series about the rise and fall of Duntsch. [16] Kirby also recalled that Duntsch's skills in the operating room left much to be desired; as Kirby put it, "he could not wield a scalpel".[4]. Ellis Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas. I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. She had suffered from lower back pain for years and was referred to Duntsch by her pain management doctor. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much 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. 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. Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, Alec Baldwin as Robert Henderson, Christian Slater as Randall Kirby and AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. 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. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. 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. Duntsch earned his undergraduate degree in 1995 and enrolled at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. 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. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. She bled so much that blood was saturating the blue draping around her body and dripping onto the floor. Mayfield also suffered from random fainting spells that happen every few weeks. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.. Just one day after his suspension had ended, Duntsch operated on Kellie Martin. Morguloff sought a second opinion on his excruciating pain from Dr. Michael Desaloms. Passmore focused on recovery and getting back to work in the months following his surgery. Dr. Death was fired before the end of his first week for the damage hed inflicted on Brown and Efurd. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. 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. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. He thought surgery might give him some relief and stop his need for drugs. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin. A disc in his lower spine had blown out, and the pieces had to be picked out of the space above. Jerry Summers believed that his best friend Christopher Duntsch was a talented neurosurgeon who would cure his chronic neck pain. He Was Also His Victim. 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. 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. In 2014, he developed syringomyelia, a painful condition that causes fluid-filled cysts on the spinal cord. His case is receiving renewed attention in the media. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. No diagnostic imaging studies were ordered, and no reasonable explanation was offered for his condition. One screw was jabbed directly into her spinal canal and had skewered the nerves that control one leg and the bladder. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding. He recommended fusing two of her vertebrae and the insertion of "hardware" in her spinal area. The series peers into the torturous crimes of . 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. Morgan didn't follow Duntsch after he left, however. 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. Christopher Duntsch - AKA Dr. Death - spent 18 months as a practicing surgeon at multiple Texas hospitals until he had his license revoked in 2013. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. To top it all off, he was operating on the wrong portion of her back. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. We've had a catastrophic event here. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. The surgery was scheduled for December 30, 2011. Duntsch also appears in no yearbooks during the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D. is a beautiful and populous city located in Montana U.S. . Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. February 21, 2017 / 5:45 AM / CBS News. 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. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. July 19, 2021. 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. In addition, a ligament in his leg was severed, and a screw was stripped and lodged into a nerve bundle. The criminal conviction of Christopher Duntsch, MD, PhD, holds important lessons for risk managers. [4] [19], Despite both of his surgeries at Dallas Medical Center going catastrophically awry, hospital officials did not report him to the NPDB. 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. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. (The Associated Press) A Texas neurosurgeon branded a "sociopath" by his colleagues could be facing 99 years in prison over multiple charges of intentionally botching . Death,' Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch", "Texas neurosurgeon nicknamed 'Dr. He didn't wear underwear. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. 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. In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. 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 . Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. He was wearing the shirt of his black scrubs, and it was covered in blood. Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. Soon afterward, he severely maimed Jeff Glidewell after mistaking part of his neck muscle for a tumor during a routine cervical fusion, severing one of his vocal cords, cutting a hole in his esophagus and slicing an artery. He thought it was odd that Duntsch wasn't working at Baylor Plano anymore, so he called his insurance company, who stated Christopher Duntsch was in good standing. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." "[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. 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. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . After interviewing dozens of Duntsch's patients and their survivors, prosecutors concluded that Duntsch's acts were indeed criminal, and nothing short of imprisonment would prevent him from practicing medicine again. At the time, Duntsch was looking for operating prospects in Dallas, San Diego, and New York. Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. Young had family in Dallas and decided she would go with him if he picked that city. After he arrived in town, he secured a deal with the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and was given surgical rights at the hospital. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. "Dr. Duntsch is one great man." [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. Duntsch continued operating despite clear signs that Martin was losing massive amounts of blood. 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. [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. [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. Troy was sedated for weeks and forced to eat through a feeding tube because food was getting into her lungs. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. Death.. Duntsch also removed so much bone and muscle tissue from Summers' neck that his head was no longer secure on his body. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. He earned his M.D. 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. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. Even though he lived in Colorado, he returned to Dallas to see his two sons. Dr. Death in surgery. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. 2-Dr.Randall Kirby, a hero. Legacy Surgery Center in Frisco (now Frisco Ambulatory Surgery Center). [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . [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. 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. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears.