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. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. After a breath test, Duntsch was arrested for DUI and sent to a detox facility. 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. Duntschs career started off bright. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. 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. Assistant district attorney Michelle Shughart, who led the prosecution of Duntsch, later recalled that Henderson and Kirby reached out to her demanding to testify against Duntsch; according to Shughart, doctors rarely testify against each other. 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 is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . Advertisement. However, it wasn't clear how much training Duntsch received. South Hampton Community Hospital in Dallas (now University General Hospital). Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. 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. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. [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. They have two sons. He has taken Baylor Plano to court over changing the Texas law requiring patients to prove that a hospital intended to harm them when it granted privileges to someone unsafe. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. [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. Kirby, Henderson, and another doctor decided to contact the district attorney, convinced that Duntsch's malpractice was so egregious it was criminal. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. Robert Lowes. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. After undergoing physical rehabilitation, Mayfield was able to walk with a cane but continued to experience paralysis on the right side of his body and in his left arm. When Jerry Summers woke up, he couldn't move his arms or legs. They also believed that charge would be easy to prove in court; Duntsch had been told repeatedly that he was not placing the hardware in the correct position and fluoroscopy images from Efurd's surgery proved this. No show's ever made you as terrified of doctors as 'Dr. Death' will 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. So as Duntsch operated on Efurd, he quarreled with Kissinger and his supervisors, insisting on a craniotomy for Brown. [38] Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. Unfortunately, it's all too real. But he yearned to play linebacker for a Division 1 team and set his sights on the Colorado State Rams. Wendy Renee Young was romantically involved with Texas physician Christopher Duntsch, who became known as "Dr . DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. Despite all of this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Marshall Muse was scheduled to have a disc removed in his back. She came in to have two vertebrae fused, but when she woke up she experienced severe pain and couldnt stand. They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. He then packed it with too much of a substance intended to stop the bleeding. But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. 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. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. "Dr. Duntsch is one great man." 2-Dr.Randall Kirby, a hero. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. 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. 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. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. Dr. Christopher Duntsch became the subject of a Peacock original series for all the wrong reasons. 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. [9][16], As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email in which Duntsch boasted 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. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. It was then that Christopher decided to switch his career to medicine. 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. You'd like to think . Then came the fax, and he saw Duntsch's name next to Kellie Martin's. His resume looked brilliant on paper," journalistMatt Goodman said of Christopher Duntsch's ability to continue to gain employment at Texas hospitals despite a deadly track record. In January 2013, Kenneth Fennell was scheduled for another operation because he was still experiencing extreme pain in his back. "[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. Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. [9] Texas Medical Board Revocation Order. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. The story of Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch, feels like something out of a movie or book. On top of this, he misspelled both Kukekov and Ignatova's names. After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on 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." Baylor wanted Duntsch operating quickly and often so they could be reimbursed for the monies they had advanced to him. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . Texas man recalls losing his wife to 'Dr. Death' in shocking doc: 'My In 2005, about a third of the way through his residency, department chairman Dr. Jon Robertson appointed Duntsch program director of the school's tissue bank. "If he wasn't doing research, he was out with Jerry Summers, partying," Morgan said in her deposition. Where is Kim Morgan Now? A disc in his lower spine had blown out, and the pieces had to be picked out of the space above. Chahadeh was worried about his facility and getting sued by Duntsch; he said to Dr. Kirby that they had already given him privileges. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch is one of the most infamous doctors ever brought to trial in a criminal case, and with good reason. 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. Young said that Morgan visited often. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. He is very caring and took the time to help me understand my pain issues. [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. Plans start at $4.99/month. [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. He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. Mr. The hospital hired him and granted him temporary surgical privileges until his reference checks were completed. "[45], Wondery Media launched a ten-episode podcast series named Dr. Death, focusing on Duntsch. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. Barry Morguloff, the owner of a pool service company, was left with bone fragments in his spinal canal after Duntsch tried to pull a damaged, Jerry Summers, a longtime friend of Duntsch's, came to Plano to have, Kellie Martin was undergoing a routine back operation when Duntsch cut through her spinal cord and severed an artery. Around 2006 and 2007, Duntsch began to become unhinged. In 2010, he completed the MDPhD and neurosurgery residency programs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,[3] and subsequently completed a spine fellowship program at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Memphis. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. 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. Once, he stopped by to pick up some paperwork. "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. 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. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. Kim Morgan Now: Where is Nurse and Christopher Duntsch's Ex-Assisstant Victim of Real-Life 'Dr. Death' Believes There Are Others - Yahoo! Neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr Death: Evil Lives Mayfield was taken to a different hospital and told his spinal cord had already been deformed, and the damage was irreversible. Many readers may recognize the name Christopher Duntsch, a doctor who allegedly was negligent in his practice for years before finally being stripped of his medical license. Trusty would later find out there was no award and it had just been a paid advertisement. By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. Dr. Death is based on the podcast of the same name, produced by Wondery. I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. The last charge was for the maiming and paralyzing of Efurd. In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. After interviewing dozens of Duntsch's patients and their survivors, prosecutors concluded that Duntsch's actions were indeed criminal, and nothing short of imprisonment would prevent him from practicing medicine again. 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. "[20][4] Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. Duntsch was suspected of having used cocaine the night before the operation. At the time of their meeting, Young was working as a dancer in a strip club. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing According to D Magazine, a doctor at the hospital where Duntsch worked said that Duntsch had been sent to an impaired physician program after he refused to take a drug test. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. Page opened a desk drawer and saw a mirror with a pile of cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. All the while, the operating room staff questioned whether Duntsch was putting hardware into Efurd in the right places and noticed he kept drilling and removing screws. While they were in the lab working, Duntsch went to work raising money for a company he called DiscGenics. The deal required Duntsch to attain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. Death. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. No one can pay to remove ratings. 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. Now, one of the several complaints against the . [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. Dr. Death, read about how reckless surgeon Robert Liston killed his patient and two bystanders. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . Was Wendy Renee Young Dr. Death's Wife? - Heavy.com Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She was moved to the ICU and died due to blood loss. Christopher Duntsch Texas True Crime Blog Dr. Death: The Long & Bloody Road to Justice for Dallas' Deadly Doctor The surgery was scheduled for December 30, 2011. Now, his time at the university . Dallas Magazine states that Duntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. He remained there for several months before being allowed to return to the residency. Death'? Duntsch continued to medicate Morguloff with prescription pain killers and ignored the change in his condition. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. Mayfield also suffered from random fainting spells that happen every few weeks. Thankfully, this ended up being Dr. Christopher Duntsch's last operation. [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. [9][24][19][7] After several days, Kirby was brought in to repair the damage and later described what he found after opening Glidewell back up as the work of a "crazed maniac". It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, Alec Baldwin as Robert Henderson, Christian Slater as Randall Kirby and AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart. Watch the trailer for Dr . However, things soon went south. D Magazine gave him the nickname in . Why do Slipknot wear masks and what do they look like without? 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. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. [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. However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. He was left with pain so debilitating he could not work any longer and now spends most of his days at home. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. 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.