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Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntschs patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. Could you take care of it?" Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of . During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy | Compact with Texans | Website Linking Policy; Please contact Pre-Licensure, Registration and Consumer Services at . After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. 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. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. He thought surgery might give him some relief and stop his need for drugs. Dr Deathis a new limited series about the rise and fall of Duntsch. Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. He knew this couldn't have been a one-time mistake. Lee Passmore is still fighting. Before working with him, Dr. Hoyle said that he didnt know how to feel about his fellow surgeon. Morguloff sought a second opinion on his excruciating pain from Dr. Michael Desaloms. "[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. At the time, Duntsch was looking for operating prospects in Dallas, San Diego, and New York. 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 . The first screening came back diluted with tap water, but a second, taken a few days later, came back clean. Learn more. The board called in veteran neurosurgeon Martin Lazar to review the case. Dr. Death is based on the podcast of the same name, produced by Wondery. Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. [23][19][24], While operating on Efurd, Duntsch severed one of her nerve roots during spinal fusion surgery while operating on the wrong portion of her back, twisted a screw into another nerve, left screw holes on the opposite side of her spine, failed to remove the disc he was supposed to remove, and left surgical hardware in her muscle tissue so loose that it moved when touched. 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." D Magazine gave him the nickname in . The two soon began dating and moving in together within three months. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. 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. 0:57. Dr. Fulton never worked with Duntsch again. 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. Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, Dr. Randall Kirbysays of Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". 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. Duntsch, once a neurosurgeon, is the focal point of the new streaming Peacock docuseries "Dr. Death." D Magazine gave him the nickname in its reporting in 2016. [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. 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. 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. Now, one of the several complaints against the . 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 . Duntsch is a serial maimer and killer. Did Christopher Duntsch have a wife and kids? One day, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiner's office. The patient was Mary Efurd coming in for a second operation. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. Duntsch earned his undergraduate degree in 1995 and enrolled at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. [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. 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. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch first met in 2011 at a Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. 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. Unfortunately, it's all too real. To top it all off, he was operating on the wrong portion of her back. Wendy Young knew her ex-boyfriend Christopher Duntsch's medical career was unraveling, but she wasn't prepared for what she said was his bizarre behavior that coincided with his fall from grace as a surgeon.. It involves the case of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a spinal neurosurgeon who left a trail of dead and permanently disabled . His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. "[20][4] Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. How could Dr. Christopher Duntsch practice medicine for as long as he did without being stopped? 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. Muse spiraled into opioid addiction that cost him his wife and his job. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Dr. Duntsch came from a good family and showed considerable potential at medical school. When he arrived, Nurse Kyle Kissinger spotted a hole in Duntsch's scrubs. Dr. Death in surgery. Death,' Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch", "Texas neurosurgeon nicknamed 'Dr. I can't believe that you're accusing me of killing someone,'" Muse recounted. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn into Dr. Death. While Kirby was repairing Troy, he uncovered that Duntsch had pinned her esophagus under a plate near her spine and poked holes in her trachea. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." They have two sons. Summers asked Duntsch to fix his chronic neck pain from a high school football injury that had gotten worse after a car accident. Death'? However, the surgery had to be moved to November 14 because Duntsch had failed to order the appropriate surgical hardware and equipment. Boop said that Duntsch spent his final year as an attending physician and could not operate independently. Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move and theoretically get a medical license in another state. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. ", "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? Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. He was told he would never be able to walk again. Around 2006 and 2007, Duntsch began to become unhinged. Everything went perfect in there." Jeff Glidewell came across Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2013 while searching for a neurosurgeon . He will be up for parole in 2045, when he is 74 years old. Duntsch's next stop was at Dallas Medical Center. Robert Lowes. His girlfriend, Wendy Young, had a second son in September 2014. Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. Dr. Death in surgery. She also said they snorted cocaine from a small pile he kept on a dresser in his home office. Duntsch operated and flew out to Las Vegas without securing a call physician. Your trust is important to us. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. But when he awoke and was experiencing extreme pain, Dr. Duntsch said that surgery had been a success and there had been no complications. 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. She suffered a stroke as a result. [7] While operating on Jacqueline Troy, Duntsch cut one of her vocal cords and an artery and also damaged her trachea. 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. Even though he lived in Colorado, he returned to Dallas to see his two sons. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. MISI representatives stated he would brag about his capabilities and be critical of the work of other surgeons. Dr. Christopher Duntsch's patients ended up maimed and dead, but the real tragedy is that the Texas Medical Board couldn't stop him. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. It was completely unnecessary, didn't relieve her pain, and only set her up for another needed surgery. Duntsch told Mayfield's wife it went well, but she instantly knew something was wrong as she walked into his room. The case highlights the risks of allowing a troubled physician to move to another hospital . Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. In addition, a ligament in his leg was severed, and a screw was stripped and lodged into a nerve bundle. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Duntsch, aka Dr Death, was sentenced to life in prison in 2017, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. From 2017: https://bit.ly/3hXJccx Henderson then cleaned out bone fragments and discovered that one of Efurd's nerve roots was gone entirely. He might have been fired from the Institute but was still a surgeon at Baylor Plano. The True Story Of Christopher Duntsch, The Killer Surgeon Known As Dr. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. 3-Jeff Glidewell, another victim of Duntsch's. 4-Michelle Shugart, the woman who brought this all to fruition . "It's on the butt cheek of his scrubs. 2-Dr.Randall Kirby, a hero. 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. He is not eligible for parole until 2045; he will be 74 years old by then. Jerry Summers, who grew up with Christopher Duntsch in Tennessee, was left a quadriplegic after agreeing to let "Dr. Death" operate on his neck. Duntsch continued to medicate Morguloff with prescription pain killers and ignored the change in his condition. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. 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. However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. 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. "He said the patient died from having an allergic reaction to the anesthesia." In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. He realized he'd seen that hole for three straight days Duntsch hadn't changed his scrubs all week. The first season of Dr. Death, which launched in 2018 and ran for seven episodes, examined the life and horrific crimes of Christopher Duntsch. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed. Once, he stopped by to pick up some paperwork. It was then that Christopher decided to switch his career to medicine. When Morgan asked Duntsch about the woman in his house, he said she was just his secretary and friend. [36] On February 20, 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison. 11:15 PM on Mar 1, 2014 CST. Duntsch also received forty percent of all revenue he generated beyond $800,000 each year. 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. As a result, Summers lost almost 1,200 mL of blood. 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. His pain management specialist advised against an operation but referred him to a neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch. [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. Around this time, Christopher Duntsch's behavior became noticeably erratic. Where is Kim Morgan Now? Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. CHRISTOPHER Duntsch, is infamously known as Dr Death for gross malpractice. It was. Dr. Henderson thought the operation on Mary Efurd was so botched that Christopher Duntsch had to be an imposter. This case was filed in Dallas County District Courts, Dallas County Civil District Courts located in Dallas, Texas. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Advertisements. Three holes had been poked into Efurd's spinal column where Duntsch had tried and failed to insert screws. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. 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. Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee Health Center. Kirby arrived and transferred Glidewell to a top-tier hospital to perform an emergency operation to remove the sponge. At one point, he was only able to eat small bites of food at one time. Although she didn't think much of it and assumed Morgan was helping with research. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. 'Hot TikTok doc' urges young people to get jabbed - warning of dangers of long Covid, Daughter, 39, guilty of stabbing mum to death before setting house on fire and dumping her dismembered body in river, Pregnant beautician loses baby after savage beating by monster husband who kidnapped her amid divorce row, Shocking moment man is crushed to death by an enraged elephant after crowd taunts herd of jumbos. 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.". Finally, the board permanently revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. He later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . [38], Duntsch is housed at the O. However, Baylor did not fire him; instead, he was allowed to resign. They talked about marriage quickly, and they moved in together within three months. Dr. Death in surgery. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. During surgery, Duntsch damaged Summers' vertebral artery causing it to bleed uncontrollably. However, part of the problem was proving that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. [8] Duntsch returned home to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch is one of the most infamous doctors ever brought to trial in a criminal case, and with good reason. She was dancing at a strip club in Memphis, and Duntsch's issues with his business, DiscGenics, grew more severe. 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." Nevertheless, it took until June 2013 to find the "pattern of patient injury" required to justify suspending Duntsch's license, despite receiving complaints dating back to 2011. I dont know if hes there to harm me or what his true intentions were, Wendy Young said of the harrowing alleged encounter with Christopher Duntsch. Dr. Death was fired before the end of his first week for the damage hed inflicted on Brown and Efurd. However, he ignored them and proceeded with his scheduled surgery on Efurd. "[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. His first and only surgery with MISI was on a Thursday in September 2011 at Baylor Plano. Dr. Robert Henderson was brought in on July 28, 2012, to perform a revision surgery on Efurd. He decided to turn to neurosurgery, which can be a lucrative field. He said even a person with the most basic sense of human anatomy would know they were operating in the wrong area. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. 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. [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. 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. Caroline is a writer and Florida-transplant currently living in New York City. 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. 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. Dallas-based surgeon Christopher Duntsch was also the subject of a Wondery podcast titled "Dr. Death." (Dallas County Jail) The indictment accused Duntsch of wide-ranging malpractice, including . Christopher Duntsch. No diagnostic imaging studies were ordered, and no reasonable explanation was offered for his condition.