In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. Duntsch also appears in no yearbooks during the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D. That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. Facebook Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch. 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. As a young neurosurgeon in Texas, Duntsch killed . [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. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed. She also said they snorted cocaine from a small pile he kept on a dresser in his home office. Leaving on April 20, 2012, with a lawyer-negotiated letter saying, "All areas of concern with regard to Christopher D. Duntsch have been closed. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. The first season of Dr. Death, which launched in 2018 and ran for seven episodes, examined the life and horrific crimes of Christopher Duntsch. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. Kirby warned him again that it was only a matter of time. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. February 22, 2017. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. "[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. The nursing staff put down towels to soak it up. Death.. Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. ", You know in the beginning he talked about marriage. The board called in veteran neurosurgeon Martin Lazar to review the case. Marshall Muse was scheduled to have a disc removed in his back. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. [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. However, Baylor did not fire him; instead, he was allowed to resign. Summers remained quadriplegic for the rest of his life. After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary, and his mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. Did Christopher Duntsch have a wife and kids? 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. 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. A neurosurgeon in Dallas, Texas, who once described himself as a "stone cold killer" was sentenced to life in prison on February 20 for maiming a woman named Mary . This case was filed in Dallas County District Courts, Dallas County Civil District Courts located in Dallas, Texas. Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. Baylor Plano again ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. 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. Finally, Dr. Kirby received a call from Hassan Chahadeh. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. I can't believe that you're accusing me of killing someone,'" Muse recounted. 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. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. To stop the bleeding, he packed the space with so much anticoagulant foam that it constricted Summers' spine. ", "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. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. Efurd eventually gained back some control and mobility, but she now uses a wheelchair and suffers chronic pain. 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.". In May 2013, Dr. Randall Kirby was invited to a dinner by University General Hospital to meet their new neurosurgeon, Dr. Duntsch. 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 . The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. Dr. Duntsch came from a good family and showed considerable potential at medical school. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. [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. One screw was jabbed directly into her spinal canal and had skewered the nerves that control one leg and the bladder. Dr. Christopher Duntsch appeared to havean impressive resume, but left a trail ofpain and devastation for those who trusted him with their health. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Lee Passmore is still fighting. Christopher Duntsch, known as "Dr. Death" tried to explain himself in rambling emails, but he only made things worse for his criminal case. In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, Dr. Randall Kirbysays of Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano (now Baylor Scott and White Medical Center - Plano). Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. Morguloff sought a second opinion on his excruciating pain from Dr. Michael Desaloms. The lead investigator on the case later revealed that she wanted Duntsch's license suspended while the ten-month probe was underway, but board attorneys were not willing to go along. Christopher Duntsch wrote that he was ready to become a "cold blooded killer". He didn't contact a lawyer, although he struggled with the decision. Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. 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. We've had a catastrophic event here. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. She said she thought that he was going to make millions, Kimberly Morgan's friend once said her attraction to Christopher Duntsch. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. [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]. Duntsch told Mayfield's wife it went well, but she instantly knew something was wrong as she walked into his room. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. The Texas Medical Board would later conclude that Brown died of excessive blood loss and a stroke, according to The Texas Observer . Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. 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. No one can pay to remove ratings. "It's a miracle," she said in the infomercial later promoted on his website. Updated Dec 9, 2022 at 3:25pm. Robert Lowes. Dr. Death in surgery. His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. "[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. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. A deranged surgeon runs amok, maiming and killing multiple patients, unhindered by a medical community sworn to police itself. The day that Brown suffered her stroke, Duntsch operated again. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. ", "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? The Dallas district attorney's office subpoenaed every hospital on Duntsch's CV for records of his surgeries. The story of Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch, feels like something out of a movie or book. 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]. 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. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. 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. 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. 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." His case is receiving renewed attention in the media. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. He didn't wear underwear. Unfortunately, it's all too real. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. Death'? Due to these legal hurdles and costly lawyer fees on the plaintiff's part, few hospitals end up having to pay out after facing a malpractice lawsuit. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . The case highlights the risks of allowing a troubled physician to move to another hospital . Homesick, Duntsch left Colorado after a year and transferred to Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, a neurosurgery resident does about 1,000 operations during training. Plans start at $4.99/month. He had a bedroom upstairs in their Plano house. Dallas Magazine states that Duntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. 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 . He remained there for several months before being allowed to return to the residency. (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 . When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. So, Summers used the only thing he had left, his voice, to scream and yell, even telling the nurses that he and Duntsch had done an eight ball of cocaine the night before his surgery. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. Dr. Death, read about how reckless surgeon Robert Liston killed his patient and two bystanders. Dr. Christopher Duntsch became the subject of a Peacock original series for all the wrong reasons. Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. Duntsch is a serial maimer and killer. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his vast financial issues. "[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. 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. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. According to court documents, surgeons at the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute soon grew suspicious of Duntsch. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. Dr. Death in surgery. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. Lee Passmore was thirty-seven and worked as a field agent for the Collin County medical examiner. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. As a result, Summers lost almost 1,200 mL of blood. Advertisements. Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. Not only was he not qualified for and held no privileges to perform brain surgery, but Dallas Medical did not have the proper equipment or personnel for such an operation. He's serving a life sentence for gross malpractice that resulted in two direct fatalities and the maiming of more than 30 neurosurgery patients, as told by Laura Beil, the journalist who hosts the Dr. Death podcast, on which the eponymous show is based. Just weeks after permanently maiming Morguloff, Dr. Duntsch operated on his lifelong friend and roommate, Jerry Summers. 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. So as Duntsch operated on Efurd, he quarreled with Kissinger and his supervisors, insisting on a craniotomy for Brown. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. [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 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. In March, the following spring, police were called to a bank in Northeast Dallas after a man with blood on his hands and face was seen beating on the doors. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. At one point, he was only able to eat small bites of food at one time. After a fall in her kitchen, Martin experienced chronic back pain and sought out surgery to alleviate it. 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?" 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. Duntsch continued to medicate Morguloff with prescription pain killers and ignored the change in his condition. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. Anatomy of a Tragedy. Mayfield died of COVID in February 2021; according to his wife, he had been vulnerable to the virus due to complications caused by Duntsch's botched surgery. ", "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. 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. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. 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. Since Duntsch's departure was technically voluntary, Baylor Plano was under no obligation to report him to the Texas Medical Board or the National Practitioner Data Bank. 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. 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. [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. [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding. She had suffered from lower back pain for years and was referred to Duntsch by her pain management doctor. 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. Death'? His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. [38] Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. Christopher Duntsch ended up at Millsaps College in Mississippi to play football and was offered financial aid. 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. He was put on probation for three weeks and told to stick to relatively minor procedures when he returned. Her husband could not hold himself up; he had no support of his own and could barely speak. Lazar was scathingly critical of Duntsch's work. I am sorry in advance that this blog post is so long. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. 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. He later told Glidewell that it was clear Duntsch had tried to kill him. Ellis Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas. He declared bankruptcy after listing debts of over $1 million. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? 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. Finally, the board permanently revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. 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. Journalists must draw attention to the failures in the U.S. medical and legal systems that allowed Christopher Duntsch, the subject of journalist Laura Beil's well-regarded "Dr. Death" podcast series, to injure dozens of patients, members of an expert panel said at the "10 years after 'Dr. Death': Are patients any safer from bad doctors?" panel at Health Journalism 2022 in Austin. He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 04:48. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. Jodi Smith. by Saul Elbein. Young had family in Dallas and decided she would go with him if he picked that city. She was moved to the ICU and died due to blood loss. Mayfield also suffered from random fainting spells that happen every few weeks. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and Christopher was determined to follow in those footsteps. He moved in with his parents in Colorado and filed for bankruptcy, claiming around one million dollars in debt. In April 2015, Duntsch was arrested again for shoplifting $887 worth of merchandise from a Dallas Walmart. He was left with pain so debilitating he could not work any longer and now spends most of his days at home. According to D Magazine, Duntsch did so well in medical school that he was allowed to join the prestigiousAlpha Omega Medical Honor Society. 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. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most laymen believe, and it took until June 2013 to find the "pattern of patient injury" required to justify suspending Duntsch's license. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. She was left with just one vocal cord. [4], After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd. Randall Kirby wrote a detailed complaint to the Texas Medical Board, calling Duntsch a "sociopath" who was "a clear and present danger to the citizens of Texas." 0:57. Duntsch severed his vertebral nerve, his vocal cords, cut a hole in his esophagus, sliced through an artery, and mistook part of his neck muscle as a tumor.

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