Although she didn't think much of it and assumed Morgan was helping with research. Dr. Death is based on the podcast of the same name, produced by Wondery. Passmore met with Dr. Duntsch and was impressed by his confidence; he would fix him. 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. "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. Learn more. [37][4], Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand in order to prove that his actions were intentional. He didn't contact a lawyer, although he struggled with the decision. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. In 2014, he developed syringomyelia, a painful condition that causes fluid-filled cysts on the spinal cord. 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 . An MRI revealed that multiple bone fragments in his spinal canal were compressing and adhering to his S1 nerve and that Duntsch had installed the hardware incorrectly. 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. "It's a miracle," she said in the infomercial later promoted on his website. 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. Unfortunately, when Morguloff woke up, he began to experience continuous pain, paresthesia, and loss of sensation in his left leg. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. 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. Duntsch is at the O. A disc in his lower spine had blown out, and the pieces had to be picked out of the space above. 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." In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. Young had family in Dallas and decided she would go with him if he picked that city. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . Jodi Smith. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. Berry Morguloff was Dr. Duntsch's next unsuspecting victim. When Morgan asked Duntsch about the woman in his house, he said she was just his secretary and friend. 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. South Hampton Community Hospital in Dallas (now University General Hospital). This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. During surgery, Duntsch operated on the wrong part of Fennell's back. by Saul Elbein. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing 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." However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. 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=1139253982. [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. He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 04:48. He later told Glidewell that it was clear Duntsch had tried to kill him. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch first met in 2011 at a Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. Young said that Morgan visited often. However, Duntsch was allowed to resign, and the hospital didn't notify the National Practitioner Data Bankagain. That same month, the two began an affair. Once, he stopped by to pick up some paperwork. She had suffered from lower back pain for years and was referred to Duntsch by her pain management doctor. 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. Dr. Death in surgery. Duntsch continued operating despite clear signs that Martin was losing massive amounts of blood. [19][16] 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. Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. Duntsch did not respond to messages from the hospital for a few hours, then the next day scheduled an elective surgery on Efurd rather than care for Brown. In 2006, Duntsch teamed up with two Russian stem cell scientists: Valery Kukekov and Tatyana Ignatova. The two went back to Duntsch's home and danced under a disco ball he had in his office. In his deposition, Summers admitted he made up the pre-surgery cocaine binge because he felt Duntsch had abandoned him, as both his doctor and his friend. "[45], Wondery Media launched a ten-episode podcast series named Dr. Death, focusing on Duntsch. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and . Death,' Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch", "Texas neurosurgeon nicknamed 'Dr. "It's on the butt cheek of his scrubs. But he yearned to play linebacker for a Division 1 team and set his sights on the Colorado State Rams. Duntsch earned his undergraduate degree in 1995 and enrolled at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Death in surgery. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. As those watching the show know, Christopher was dubbed "Dr. Death" in D Magazine . [48], In 2019, Duntsch was the focus of the premiere episode of License to Kill, Oxygen's series on criminal medical professionals. Morgan didn't follow Duntsch after he left, however. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. Prosecutors also faulted Duntsch's employers for not reporting him. He was told he would never be able to walk again. According to Megan Kane, an ex-girlfriend of one of Duntschs friends, she saw him eat a paper blotter of LSD and take prescription painkillers on his birthday. Cheney recalled wondering why a neurosurgeon with such outstanding credentials would be operating at a lower-tiered hospital on the way to his surgery. 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. 0:57. He had a bedroom upstairs in their Plano house. They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. Facebook Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch. 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 . "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop him.". [26][4], After leaving Dallas Medical Center, Duntsch received privileges at South Hampton Community Hospital in Dallas and also took a job at an outpatient clinic named Legacy Surgery Center (now Frisco Ambulatory Surgery Center) in Frisco. As a result, Summers lost almost 1,200 mL of blood. Dr. Duntsch came from a good family and showed considerable potential at medical school. The pressure was building inside her brain. To become a neurosurgeon, one typically has to complete over 1000 surgeries in residency, but somehow, reporter Laura Beil discovered that Duntsch only completed 100. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. 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. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison. [4], Early in his tenure at Baylor Plano, Duntsch made a poor impression on his fellow surgeons. Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears. 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. The two soon began dating and moving in together within three months. [4], After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd. Now, his time at the university . DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. 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. The process involves cutting a hole in the skull to relieve the pressure in the brain. Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. As he lay there in agony, Duntsch was nowhere to be found. 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. ", "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? [14] He persuaded Young to come with him; Young agreed, since she had grown up in the Dallas area. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . Now, a podcast called Dr. Death is breaking down the deranged surgeon's criminal acts and shows how drug abuse and blinding overconfidence led to big trouble for the patients who found themselves underneath the spiraling doctor's knife.. 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. Dr. Fulton never worked with Duntsch again. He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. His first and only surgery with MISI was on a Thursday in September 2011 at Baylor Plano. She also said they snorted cocaine from a small pile he kept on a dresser in his home office. He was brilliant. [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. [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. February 21, 2017 / 5:45 AM / CBS News. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. Not only was he not qualified for and held no privileges to perform brain surgery, but Dallas Medical did not have the proper equipment or personnel for such an operation. I am sorry in advance that this blog post is so long. 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. When Martin awoke from anesthesia, she was screaming and clawing at her legs which had become patchy and full of purple streaks and spots. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. 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. D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. The show starsJoshua Jackson,Grace Gummer, AnnaSophia Robb,Christian SlaterandAlec Baldwin. The True Story Of Christopher Duntsch, The Killer Surgeon Known As Dr. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. 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." Christopher Duntsch is confirmed to have injured 31 patients and killed two . 3-Jeff Glidewell, another victim of Duntsch's. 4-Michelle Shugart, the woman who brought this all to fruition . Could you take care of it?" Christopher Duntsch wrote that he was ready to become a "cold blooded killer". The surgical disasters of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch led to his jailing in 2017, setting a legal precedent. [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. Before he was "Dr. Death" on Wondery's hit 2018 podcast, disgraced former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was a student at Colorado State University. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. The series follows two other surgeons, along with . Baylor Plano again ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. Dr. Death was fired before the end of his first week for the damage hed inflicted on Brown and Efurd. Duntsch had come highly recommended to Fennell and wooed him with boasts that he'd soon be head of Baylor Medical Center's entire neurosurgery department. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed. On November 7, 2011, Dr. Duntsch was scheduled to perform his first surgery at Baylor Plano on Kenneth Fennell for his back pain. Dr. Duntsch assured Muse that the pain was normal and prescribed him, strong pain killers, causing him to spiral into an addiction. The surgery was supposed to take less than 45 minutes and ultimately lasted over four hours. The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. "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. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. In September 2012, Jeff Cheney went to Duntsch to relieve the pain that had moved from his shoulder down to his arm. He was left with pain so debilitating he could not work any longer and now spends most of his days at home. However, St. Jude says there was no such program at the hospital. "[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. 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 . 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. 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. However, the surgery had to be moved to November 14 because Duntsch had failed to order the appropriate surgical hardware and equipment. ", "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? Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. When he woke up, he was a quadriplegic with incomplete paralysis. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. Death'? Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971. He didn't wear underwear. Christopher Duntsch. The explanation was enough to satisfy Muse. Duntsch approached Pam Trusty about being on camera during a follow-up visit where she was still in pain. And its all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. She bled to death . For 33 patients of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, it was a reality. Left: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. Why do Slipknot wear masks and what do they look like without? [42] The four hospitals that employed Duntsch have ongoing civil cases against him. 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 later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . Duntsch told his friends and family that Passmore would be fine in a day or two and to not worry about 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. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. 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. Mayfield also suffered from random fainting spells that happen every few weeks. In addition, a ligament in his leg was severed, and a screw was stripped and lodged into a nerve bundle. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. While they were in the lab working, Duntsch went to work raising money for a company he called DiscGenics. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. His older son had been born back when he was at Baylor Plano. "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 . No one can pay to remove ratings. Thankfully, this ended up being Dr. Christopher Duntsch's last operation. Duntsch moved into a five-bedroom house not far from the hospital. [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. To top it all off, he was operating on the wrong portion of her back. Finally, the board permanently revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. Around this time, Christopher Duntsch's behavior became noticeably erratic. In May 2013, Dr. Randall Kirby was invited to a dinner by University General Hospital to meet their new neurosurgeon, Dr. Duntsch. [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. 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. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. Advertisements. Duntsch also removed so much bone and muscle tissue from Summers' neck that his head was no longer secure on his body. He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. Morguloff had become addicted to the pain killers being prescribed to him by this time. Just weeks after permanently maiming Morguloff, Dr. Duntsch operated on his lifelong friend and roommate, Jerry Summers. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. Chris Dozois, a fellow linebacker with the Rams, recalled Duntsch struggling, even with basic drills, but begging to run them over and over until he got it right. Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr Deathis a new limited series about the rise and fall of Duntsch. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding. He avoided it and disappeared for several days. Duntschs career started off bright. They have two sons. 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 . He was a forty-five-year-old man with typical back problems. [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. He completed a spine fellowship program at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Memphis for his surgical residency, spending the standard five years on neurosurgery and one-year learning general surgery. 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]. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. Dr. Christopher Duntsch appeared to havean impressive resume, but left a trail ofpain and devastation for those who trusted him with their health. Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. Immediately, he started yelling and cussing at me, saying, 'How dare you? He is very caring and took the time to help me understand my pain issues. Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin. This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn into Dr. Death. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. He knew this couldn't have been a one-time mistake. Summers had a credit card in his name connected to Duntsch's account and would drive him around, balance his checkbooks, and pick up his dry cleaning. A deranged surgeon runs amok, maiming and killing multiple patients, unhindered by a medical community sworn to police itself. During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. "After building a flourishing neurosurgery practice, everything suddenly changes when patients entering Dr. Duntsch's operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries start leaving permanently disabled or dead. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. 11:15 PM on Mar 1, 2014 CST. However, he ignored them and proceeded with his scheduled surgery on Efurd. Soon after starting Efurd's surgery, Duntsch turned to Kissinger and told him he would be performing a craniotomy on Floella Brown. Dr. Frederick Boop, chief of neurosurgery at the hospital where Duntsch was completing his residency, said that university officials asked Duntsch to take a drug test. 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. In 2005, partway through the six-year program, he became the director of the tissue bank. No one came out and spoke with Kellie Martin's family or informed them of her condition during this time. After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. "I called Dr. Duntsch up, and I said, 'I saw this online.' At one point, an assisting surgeon named Dr. Hoyle observed Duntsch performing such alarming and erratic behavior; he grabbed his hands and pleaded with him to stop. Even worse, some of the patients never got the chance to wake up. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.. Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move and theoretically get a medical license in another state. 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. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. "[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. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football.[7]. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. Where is Kim Morgan Now? Duntsch had removed part of his femoral nerve.
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