After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. Christopher Duntsch, known as "Dr. Death" tried to explain himself in rambling emails, but he only made things worse for his criminal case. Promising Beginnings. He secured investments in Discgenics from local spine surgeons, including Dr. Robertson and Dr. Kevin Foley, a prominent Memphis neurosurgeon Duntsch spent a year training under as part of the surgery fellowship at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic. [43], The conviction of Duntsch has been called a precedent-setting case, as it is believed to be the first time that a physician has been convicted on criminal charges for actions in the course of their medical work. But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. [33][34] The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations were to run out. Dr. Duntsch assured Muse that the pain was normal and prescribed him, strong pain killers, causing him to spiral into an addiction. [42] The four hospitals that employed Duntsch have ongoing civil cases against him. On November 7, 2011, Dr. Duntsch was scheduled to perform his first surgery at Baylor Plano on Kenneth Fennell for his back pain. She bled to death . By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. [7] While operating on Jacqueline Troy, Duntsch cut one of her vocal cords and an artery and also damaged her trachea. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. [8] Duntsch returned home to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). 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. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. The day after Mary Efurd's surgery, she awoke in excruciating pain and could not turn over or wiggle her toes. Dr. Death in surgery. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. The board called in veteran neurosurgeon Martin Lazar to review the case. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. 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. 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 . "Christopher Duntsch, Texas Medical Board license number N8183, is an impaired physician, a sociopath, and must be stopped from practicing medicine." Robin Glidewell also sent a letter . 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. 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. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. An investigator by trade and nature, Passmore started digging into Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. Dr Deathis a new limited series about the rise and fall of Duntsch. Every victim deserves to have their story told, and unfortunately, Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, has 33. To see the rest of Dr. Christopher Duntsch's murder and maiming spree, and the fight to stop him, you'll need to purchase Peacock premium. 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 . 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. [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. Kirby was shocked; he called the owner of University General and warned him that Duntsch would hurt someone, and the hospital would be over. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. 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. [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. 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. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Leaving on April 20, 2012, with a lawyer-negotiated letter saying, "All areas of concern with regard to Christopher D. Duntsch have been closed. He was left with pain so debilitating he could not work any longer and now spends most of his days at home. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. 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. Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. 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 . His case is receiving renewed attention in the media. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. Baylor officials took Summers' accusation seriously and ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. 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?" The Legislature not only puts the burden of proof on the plaintiff instead of the defendant in medical malpractice cases, but it also allows hospitals to keep information about doctors confidential. Officers said he was driving on the left side of the road with two flat tires. 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. His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. However, Mayfield still woke up with paralysis on occasion. Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin. [48], In 2019, Duntsch was the focus of the premiere episode of License to Kill, Oxygen's series on criminal medical professionals. [38], Duntsch is housed at the O. [7] He lasted for less than a week before administrators pulled his privileges after the death of a patient, Floella Brown, and the maiming of another, Mary Efurd. Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand to prove that his actions were intentional. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. But, she never reported Duntsch up the ladder or told anyone about the horrors she witnessed in the operating room. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Glidewell is still in constant pain and has undergone more than 50 procedures to correct the damage left by Duntsch. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . It involves the case of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a spinal neurosurgeon who left a trail of dead and permanently disabled . It's hard to find a lawyer willing to jump through these hoops no matter how negligent the doctor was, because Texas limits non-economic damages in most cases to $250,000 per doctor. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. I thought he was either really, really good, or hes just really, really arrogant and thought he was good, Hoyle said. In April 2015, Duntsch was arrested again for shoplifting $887 worth of merchandise from a Dallas Walmart. Duntsch pierced and blocked her vertebral artery with a misplaced screw and refused to stop despite the massive blood loss. He was a forty-five-year-old man with typical back problems. 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. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. [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. She suffered a stroke as a result. Young had family in Dallas and decided she would go with him if he picked that city. After the operation, Brown woke up and seemed fine, but early the following day; she lost consciousness. 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.". It was Duntsch, babbling about his family being in danger. At the time of their meeting, Young was working as a dancer in a strip club. Chahadeh was worried about his facility and getting sued by Duntsch; he said to Dr. Kirby that they had already given him privileges. [4], Upon applying for work, he looked extremely qualified on paper: he had spent a total of fifteen years in training (medical school, residency and fellowship), and his curriculum vitae was twelve single-spaced pages. Death'? Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. 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. When Martin awoke from anesthesia, she was screaming and clawing at her legs which had become patchy and full of purple streaks and spots. 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. The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. As a result, Summers lost almost 1,200 mL 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. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. Summers asked Duntsch to fix his chronic neck pain from a high school football injury that had gotten worse after a car accident. The Legislature has also made suing hospitals difficult. In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, Dr. Randall Kirbysays of Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". The case highlights the risks of allowing a troubled physician to move to another hospital . As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email written by Christopher Duntsch. In July 2015, Duntsch was arrested in Dallas and charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of aggravated assault causing severe bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. Watch the trailer for Dr . However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. 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. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. Once, he stopped by to pick up some paperwork. 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. Advertisement. While there, he damaged patient Jeff Cheney's spinal cord, leaving him without feeling on the right side of his body. A few days later, he took the test and passed. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. 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. Dr. Duntsch came from a good family and showed considerable potential at medical school. 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. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. "[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. Duntsch recommended fusing Morguloff's L5-S1 vertebrae, and the surgery was scheduled for January 11, 2012. 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. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. However, Baylor did not fire him; instead, he was allowed to resign. 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. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. Left: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. "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. Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. "[4] The Texas Medical Board revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football.[7]. For 33 patients of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, it was a reality. Dr. Fulton never worked with Duntsch 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. Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. 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.