Jerry Summers believed that his best friend Christopher Duntsch was a talented neurosurgeon who would cure his chronic neck pain. "[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. Anatomy of a Tragedy: The Story Behind 'Sociopath Surgeon' Christopher Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. July 19, 2021. Mary Efurd: While Brown was dying, Duntsch was operating on Mary Efurd, a 71-year-old anxious to return to her treadmill after surgery to relieve her back pain. 'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - Peoplemag Immediately, he started yelling and cussing at me, saying, 'How dare you? In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. He is very caring and took the time to help me understand my pain issues. Thankfully, this ended up being Dr. Christopher Duntsch's last operation. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. However, on January 6, 2012, a week after the surgery, Dr. Duntsch performed another operation on Passmore. During a deposition, Megan Krane recalled Duntsch eating a paper blotter of LSD and taking prescription painkillers on his birthday. Morgan says they spent a lot of time in clubs. 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. "[20][4] Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch first met in 2011 at a Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. During surgery, Duntsch operated on the wrong part of Fennell's back. Duntsch's next patient was Jeff Glidewell. Podcast de Dr Death: La verdadera historia de Christopher Duntsch que Over the course of 18-months, the nefarious ex-surgeon performed a spree of botched . 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 . That same month, the two began an affair. Dr. Death in surgery. Christopher Duntsch Texas True Crime Blog Where Is Christopher Duntsch's Wife Wendy Renee Young Now? Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and . 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. Duntsch told his friends and family that Passmore would be fine in a day or two and to not worry about it. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. 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 wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. Kissinger also noticed that Duntsch had pinpoint pupils and hardly seemed to blink. A Texas jury found Christopher Duntsch guilty Feb. 14 of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. In one particularly disturbing episode, in March 2015, she said she arrived home to her front door had been locked with a deadbolt from the inside. "[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. However, Duntsch was allowed to resign, and the hospital didn't notify the National Practitioner Data Bankagain. Her husband could not hold himself up; he had no support of his own and could barely speak. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. MARY EFURD vs CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MDet al - UniCourt 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. Duntsch continued to medicate Morguloff with prescription pain killers and ignored the change in his condition. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. Dr. Henderson thought the operation on Mary Efurd was so botched that Christopher Duntsch had to be an imposter. 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. 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. Did Christopher Duntsch Have Any Successful Surgeries? [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. For 33 patients of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, it was a reality. 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. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. [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. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. Over the course of two years, Christopher Duntsch operated on 38 patients in the Dallas area. Duntsch boasted to his assistant and mistress, Kimberly Morgan, 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." Leaving on April 20, 2012, with a lawyer-negotiated letter saying, "All areas of concern with regard to Christopher D. Duntsch have been closed. Despite several warnings from his colleagues that he was not doing the surgery correctly and was attempting to put screws into muscle rather than bone, Duntsch persisted. ", "Doctor Guilty of Felony Medical Malpractice", "Disciplinary actions against doctors have plunged during the pandemic, but that doesn't mean they are behaving", "An Update on Dr. Death Victim Philip Mayfield", "Jeff Glidewell Today: Where Is Dr. Death's Last Patient Now? 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. Dr. Christopher Duntsch became the subject of a Peacock original series for all the wrong reasons. Dallas Magazine states that Duntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. [47] A follow-up docuseries, Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story, was later released on Peacock on July 29, 2021, featuring interviews with some of Duntsch's patients and colleagues, as well as with Henderson, Kirby and Shughart. Despite all of this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Before he was "Dr. Death" on Wondery's hit 2018 podcast, disgraced former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was a student at Colorado State University. Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. He was told he would never be able to walk again. No one came out and spoke with Kellie Martin's family or informed them of her condition during this time. Who Is Christopher Duntsch, The Man Nicknamed 'Dr. Death' Who Injured His first and only surgery with MISI was on a Thursday in September 2011 at Baylor Plano. His pain management specialist advised against an operation but referred him to a neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . The Texas Medical Board would later conclude that Brown died of excessive blood loss and a stroke, according to The Texas Observer . Texas Medical Board 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 . 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. After a fall in her kitchen, Martin experienced chronic back pain and sought out surgery to alleviate it. [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. Baylor Plano again ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. Dr. Death: The Long & Bloody Road to Justice for Dallas' Deadly Doctor Licensed to kill: lawsuit seeks to overturn Texas hospital shield law By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. 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. Christopher Duntsch - Wikipedia My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. 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. She bled so much that blood was saturating the blue draping around her body and dripping onto the floor. As a young neurosurgeon in Texas, Duntsch killed . Dr. Death, read about how reckless surgeon Robert Liston killed his patient and two bystanders. Henderson sent Duntsch's picture to the University of Tennessee to determine whether he had a degree from that institution and received confirmation that Duntsch was not a fraud. Passmore can't feel his feet; his chest shakes, his right-hand jitters, he can't run or swim with his kids, he struggles with incontinence, and he has nerve pain that fires through his back. Updated Dec 9, 2022 at 3:25pm. They didn't have enough evidence to stop him because he hadn't done anything wrong yet. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. Prince Charming, Im gonna change your life, Wendy Young said of the promising start to her romance with Christopher Duntsch. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. 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." 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. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. Around 2006 and 2007, Duntsch began to become unhinged. 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. [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 said, "Randy, you were right. 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. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. He was left with pain so debilitating he could not work any longer and now spends most of his days at home. [8] Duntsch returned home to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. [16][24] Henderson described Duntsch's surgery as an "assault", and concluded that Efurd would have been bedridden had the salvage surgery not been performed. Lee Passmore is still fighting. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. Fennell is in constant pain, and it took several months of rehabilitation before he could begin to walk with a cane. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. They talked about marriage quickly, and they moved in together within three months. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. She bled to death . 5 chilling details about Christopher Duntsch - sportskeeda.com Kirby claimed that it looked as if Duntsch had tried to decapitate Glidewell and contended that such a botched surgery has not happened in the United States of America before. 'Dr Death' Stars Share Why They Think Christopher Duntsch - TheWrap He will be up for parole in 2045, when he is 74 years old. 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?" Gaps in medical, legal systems may allow other 'Dr. Deaths' to practice 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. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. During his short tenure, he spent little time in the operating room. Duntsch earned his undergraduate degree in 1995 and enrolled at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. 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. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. "It's on the butt cheek of his scrubs. 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]. 'Dr. Death' Case Holds Lessons for Risk Managers, Hospitals
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