Death', "Texas Jury Imposes Life Sentence on Neurosurgeon", "The Making and Breaking of Dr. "Christopher Duntsch" (Dr. Death)", "Season 14 of CNBC's 'American Greed' Premieres Monday, January 18 at 10PM", Dr. Death: The Texas Surgeon Who Paralyzed his Patients, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christopher_Duntsch&oldid=1149133921, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Texas, University of Tennessee Health Science Center alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a formr nurse practitioner in Dallas, Texas, was found guilty of maiming his elderly patient Mary Efurd and was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017. The financial incentives are a huge part of what was driving him and what was driving the people all around to continue to believe in him in and invest in him despite the fact that there were all these red flags, Shugart said of Duntsch'sability to continue to gain employment. Christopher Duntsch. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. 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. According to him, Duntsch had a "great work ethic" and no areas of weakness. Most doctors would pull themselves out of the field after a few botched surgeries because of the guilt they have to carry after permanently hurting someone. Duntsch was told to take a drug test but disappeared instead. He was running research labs and had ambitions of becoming a successful surgeon, but thigs soon took a turn for the worse. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Many doctors indeed believe that Duntsch knew what he was doing they said its like he knew what to do and did the exact opposite. The attorneys claimed she knew about the drugs and his drug-addled OR trips but did nothing to stop them. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. Yes, the two plastic surgeons have collaborated on many medical projects, but its their longtime friendship that has solidified their bond. The hospital also instructed Duntsch to only perform minor procedures, but his next surgery had an even more catastrophic outcome. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. As Dr. It was as if he knew everything to do, Henderson, (played by Alec Baldwin in the Peacock series) toldProPublica, and then hed done virtually everything wrong.. Instead of performing the miracles he promised for his patients, he injured33 out of 38 of the people in his carein less than two years. In the first 15 minutes of the premiere alone, the viewer is asked to watch as Dr. Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson) cuts his patients open, and loudly clamors at bone with hammers and screws . Whatever Duntsch set out to be when he first donned that white coat, being a media sensation for all the wrong reasons may not have been his goal. Death Showrunner Breaks Down Turning Hit Podcast Into New Drama Series On Peacock, AnnaSophia Robb Stars In New Series Dr. School librarian Kellie Martin, 55, died during a routine back operation after Duntsch punctured a blood vessel. Once he'd arrived in Dallas, it quickly became apparent Duntsch wasn't the hotshot surgeon he had claimed to be. My take on it is, for him, it was hubris, Jackson mused. However, the procedure resulted in catastrophic consequences; Summers suffered a vertebral artery dissection that caused paralysis from the neck down and left him a quadriplegic. ", "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? Becker's Hospital Review covered the 13 worst physicians of 2017, as named by Medscape. Required fields are marked *. Christopher Duntsch, the focus of Peacock's true crime series Dr. Death, looked good on paper.When he arrived in Dallas in late 2010, Duntsch's resume spoke of a skilled neurosurgeon: An M.D. Duntsch then joined Dallas Medical Center. But with that terrifying track record, how was he able to continue to operate? [19], In July 2015, approximately a year and a half after his license was revoked, Duntsch was arrested in Dallas and charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person. Your email address will not be published. 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. Swango is estimated to have been involved in as many as 60 fatal poisonings of patients and colleagues, though he admitted to causing only four deaths. He then packed it with too much of a substance intended to stop the bleeding. I mean, from talking with Michelle, she listened to all of his prison conversations with his dad for research. This resulted in catastrophic outcomes for many of his patients, most of whom suffered severe injury or death because of his negligence. The civil attorneys in these cases were able to land a rather damning e-mail sent from Duntsch to his girlfriend/physical assistant.The girlfriend was Kimberly Morgan, and in the e-mail to her, the ramblings of a mind gone wrong are clear. The company, Discgenics, is still going, and still holds the patents, listingDuntsch, Ignatova, and Kukekov as the inventors. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. Because of a valuable patent the company owned, they let him through the gates and out into the world. [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. The deal required Duntsch to gain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. There are some who believe that he never wanted to be in the ORat all. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. 'Dr Death' Stars Share Why They Think Christopher Duntsch - TheWrap On July 24, 2012, Duntsch operated on Floella Brown, 64, a banker about to retire after a long career. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. The Joy of Carolling: A Timeless Tradition, Hoppers Disappearance in Stranger Things Season 4 Explained. How Did 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch Continue To Operate? | True I think everybody in the OR became pretty concerned because Dr. Duntsch was pulling a lot of muscle tissue out of Jerrys neck and there was just a lot of bleeding, Shughart, (portrayed in the series byAnnaSophia Robb), said of the surgery. He harmed the very people who trusted him. Take the case of Dr. Death, aka Dr. Christopher Duntsch. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. As the eldest of four, his parents remember him as a precocious boy. The difference between Season 6 and the other seasons is it took me more than one surgery on several of the patients to get them fixed. The Peacock TV series Dr. St. Jude refuted this by saying there was no such program there at that time. But hospital after hospital passed the buck. Duntsch left Dallas Medical Center, but once again was not reported to the national data bankbecause he was not a full staff member and only worked there using temporary privileges. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. This is notably weird, considering Christopher Duntsch trained underDr. Boop, so you'd assume that theyoperated together as part of the whole learning surgery process. The patients on Botched get an appearance fee and their costs are handled by the show, he noted. But on January 6, 2012, a week after the surgery, Duntsch went back in. 'Dr. Death': Who Is Jerry Summers and What Happened to Him? - Newsweek [13] In 2010, Duntsch moved to Dallas. The life in prison sentence was a deathblow to Duntsch, who, according to his father, was now a humbled man who had lost everything. Peacocks Free tier includes 7,500 hours of ad-supported programming, including next-day access to episodes of first-year NBC shows, as well as a rotating lineup of classic films and television series. He was left unable to move from the neck down after Christopher Duntsch, who was once his closest friend, operated on him. Was Dr Christopher Duntsch board certified? Muse spiraled into opioid addiction that cost him his wife and his job. ), As Dr. According to Rosenblum, Jerry Summers had forgiven Chris Duntsch several years prior to his death. He declared bankruptcy after listing debts of over $1 million. He graduated from one of the top-tier medical schools and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. Then, we were reminded once again of the deadly doctor's acts in the Peacock miniseries, Dr. Death, starring Joshua Jackson as the title character. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. I really wish I knew she said. The Dallas district attorneys office discovered through a search of hospital records that Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgery resident, had only completed about 100 operations during his training. A bold pronouncement, yet after just one sloppy, dangerous surgery, Hoyle vowednever to work with Duntsch again. This very friend would later end up a quadriplegic under Duntsch's weapon of a scalpel. Duntsch wrote that he accepted he was a cold-blooded killer. I have one last thing to remind the Texas Medical Boardyour mission is to protect the publicDr. Peacock has released 'Dr. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. 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. [7] He likened what he found when he opened Efurd up to the results of a child playing with Tinkertoys or an erector set. Death viewers. The charges brought against Dr. Duntsch stemmed from a series of botched spinal surgeries that he performed between 2012 and 2013. [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. 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. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Home Health An Analysis of Christopher Duntsch, Dr. [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. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntsch's patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. And she saw how he was manipulative and sort of narcissistic. So I feel like it was like a mixture of drugs, I think hubris, I think narcissism I dont think he was a good doctor. She said he was a very long talker and he would call his dad up and have these like two-hour conversations with him. 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. According to ProPublica, Duntsch's residency and fellowship records show less than 100 surgeries. His best friend Jerry Summers (played by Dominic Burgess) was left a. This may have been out of personal preference, or due to a lack of attention to detail on his part. American surgeon, convicted of criminal malpractice, 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. But that isn't the scariest part. Preston and Aiden are both in their twenties now, and have been featured in interviews about their fathers crimes. Henderson sent Duntsch's picture to the University of Tennessee to determine whether he actually had a degree from that institution and received confirmation that Duntsch, in fact, did. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. Not long after he arrived at the job, Duntsch operated on his childhood best friend Jerry Summers. According to the Texas Observer, one of Duntsch's first botched surgeries took place in January 2012 and led to bone fragments from the patient's vertebrae getting lodged in the nerves of his back. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. Why did Dr. Death do it? After graduating as a physician with above-average grades, he had his whole life ahead of him. After moving to Dallas, Texas in 2011 to practice medicine, reports started coming in about patients whose surgeries were botched by Duntsch resulting in severe injuries or even death. [4], After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd. Dr. Robert Henderson, a spinal surgeon who later took over Efurds care, would later testify that Duntsch had operated in the wrong place in her back, amputated a nerve root and botched the implantation of a device meant to stabilize her spine. [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. The eight-episode series is anticipated to be a thrilling watch. To fellow surgeon Mark Hoyle, he said, "Everybody's doing it wrong. From celebrity gossip to healthy living tips and from new technologies to educational resources - we have it all! Death,' Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch", "Texas neurosurgeon nicknamed 'Dr. In addition, he was mixed up with an addiction to cocaine and other drugs, with peers reporting that he would go on all-night benders before operating the next day. My take on it is, for him, it was hubris, Jackson told TheWrap. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved Death.). Passmore says the space above a disc in his lower spine had been blown out in the first surgery, and Duntsch returned to . It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, and it will also feature Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin.. This lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in 2013. After his arrest, he still had those loving parents. Christopher Duntsch had two children: Preston and Aiden. This could be path-breaking in the future ofcancer treatment andDr. Duntsch sniffed out the opportunity right away. In July 2015, indictments came through. Martin paid with her lifebecause her doctor was too proud to say he screwed up. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? | The US Sun - The Sun Once back in the operating room, his work resulted in the same deadly consequences, according to Texas Medical Board records. I received word today that Jerry Summers has passed away. The real question isn't why Dr. Duntsch did what he did. Dr. Death - Series Premiere Discussion : r/television - Reddit Thats the question on everyones minds, including Beils, the reporter who initially broke the story on her Wondery podcast. 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. Theres blood on a lot of peoples hands, Kay Van Wey, a personal injury lawyer representing some of Duntschs former patients, told American Greed. Many of the decisions that were made in this case by multiple people along the line who had the moral obligation to do the right thing, their decision making was colored and tainted by financial considerations and that is just wrong on every level that I can imagine., Or as the final title card of Dr. Death reads, "This will happen again.". His negligence resulted in many serious and life-altering injuries to his patients, including one of his best friends Jerry Summers who was left quadriplegic after surgery. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. William Armstrong is a senior editor with H-O-M-E.org, where he writes on a wide variety of topics. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. During his residency program for neurosurgery, he completed fewer than 100 surgeries despite the expected 1,000 operations for a typical resident. Duntsch was Board Certified to do brain and spinal surgery. That statement is blatantly untrue and the ABNS has written to the Oxygen network and its parent companies to demand a correction. To add to this, his so-called Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center may also be dubious. His next patient, Floella Brown was 63. The real question is:Why couldn't anyone stop him in time? He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 11:28. During his trial, it was revealed that Dr. Duntsch had disregarded safety protocols and deviated from accepted surgical practices when operating on Summers, leading to his tragic outcome. [11] Several of his friends recalled him going to work after a night of doing drugs, with one of them saying he would never allow Duntsch to operate on him. Duntsch jumped from hospital to hospital, none of which reported his botched procedures to a national database of physicians designed to protect against such instances. Adams, Michael Kirk, Jack Kirk, and Michael Swan, as well as the press nickname Dr. Death, is an American physician and an admitted serial killer. Sadly, being moral and good aren't therequisites schools need to let someone become a doctor. He wrote, "You will not find a harder working or more willing individual." How much money did Christopher Duntsch make? And yet the actual tragedy is that someone could have stopped it. CHRISTOPER Duntsch, also known as Dr. Death, was a doctor who seriously harmed and killed patients during surgeries in hospitals across Texas. GQ calls it the scariest podcast of 2019. There is a complexity tohim at times and a kind of tragedy. And the biggest question on everyones mind is why Dr. Death did it. She, after being in Duntsch's OR, would never walk again. An Analysis of Christopher Duntsch, 'Dr. Death', Surgery Records The Incredible Genetic Trait Childbearing Hips. He later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . He also reported shooting pains throughout his body. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. Between 2010, when he began his surgery practice, and 2013, Duntsch, then in his early forties, performed many operations that resulted in severe injury or death. ", "Assault trial begins for Dallas surgeon who once wrote of becoming 'cold blooded killer', "The State of Texas vs. Christopher Daniel Dunstch", "Life Sentence Upheld on Appeal For Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death", "What you need to know about 'Dr. [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. The Right Way to Mix Acids and Water: Always Add Acid to Water! His childhood was seemingly great. 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. She suffered a stroke as a result. "It was as if the person doing the surgery knew what he was doing but did everything wrong," Dr. The very first complaint should have triggered an investigation. You can also watchAmerican Greedon CNBC, and Oxygen's own "License to Kill," which profiled Duntsch's deadly malpractice. In the deposition, she states that Duntsch snorted cocaine from a handy pile he kept on a dresser at his home. Duntsch arrived in Texas with no shortage of confidence, often boasting to his colleagues that he would be the greatest minimally invasive spinalsurgeon in Dallas. While there, he damaged patient Jeff Cheney's spinal cord, leaving him without feeling on the right side of his body. Welcome to H-O-M-E.org, your one stop shop for all the best in entertainment, movies, music, celebrities, health, lifestyle, sports, technology and education. If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? What happened to Christopher Duntsch? His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of Duntsch's victims and reached out to her. Death limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and killed so many patients who came in for complex but routine procedures. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. Only three of Duntsch's surgeries were performed with no complications. Jerry Summers, Duntsch's childhood friend, is now a quadriplegic. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Dr. Christopher Duntsch seemed to be a successful neurosurgeon in the Dallas area. [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. You can get access to the first three episodes of Dr. Death with Peacocks free tier. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacock's "Dr. Death" limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and. How many people did Christopher Duntsch kill? [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. Yet they let him resign and passed the bill along for someone else to pay. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed.[4][49]. The damage is irreversible. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football.[7]. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. [4] [19], Despite both of his surgeries at Dallas Medical Center going catastrophically awry, hospital officials did not report him to the NPDB. This May Be the Most Horrifying Surgery Story You've Ever Heard But was he just an inadequate addict? Several people who were in the operating room for Efurd's surgery suspected that Duntsch might have been intoxicated, recalling that his pupils were dilated. The docuseries aims to show the real people who were harmed by Dr. Death, some of whom are still alive today to share their stories. 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. Troy was left barely able to speak above a whisper, had to be sedated for weeks and had to be fed through a feeding tube for some time as food was getting into her lungs. All eight episodes of Peacocks Dr. In February 2021, he passed away from an infection connected to a cervical fusion surgery that he underwent one decade prior. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. But Robb thinks this unknown factor is what makes this story so interesting to Dr. You can also watch all eight episodes of Dr. Death without ads through its third tier Premium Plus plan, which costs $9.99/month. The Difference Between Sociopath and Psychopath. 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]. The original patent still holds, and hopefully, Discgenics would be able to break out of the Dr. Death shadow todo some real anti-cancer work instead. So the hospitals he worked for knew of his carelessness and sociopathic behavior in the OR. 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. 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. IMDb Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. It would be very easy and for people to just plop Black Hat on him and call it a day and sleep well at night thinking that he was an aberration.". 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 Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Hippocratic Oath is sworn by all doctors and binds them to do no harm. There are multiple seasons of poor oversight and hospitals who dont necessarily want to deal with the consequences. [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.
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