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. 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. By the end of the week, administrators told Duntsch he would no longer be operating at Dallas Medical Center. Berry Morguloff was Dr. Duntsch's next unsuspecting victim. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." This case was filed in Dallas County District Courts, Dallas County Civil District Courts located in Dallas, Texas. During surgery, Duntsch damaged Summers' vertebral artery causing it to bleed uncontrollably. 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. He decided to turn to neurosurgery, which can be a lucrative field. February 21, 2017 / 5:45 AM / CBS News. During his tenure at Baylor Plano, Kimberly Morgan assisted in every surgery with Duntsch. In April 2015, Duntsch was arrested again for shoplifting $887 worth of merchandise from a Dallas Walmart. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy | Compact with Texans | Website Linking Policy; Please contact Pre-Licensure, Registration and Consumer Services at . 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. "[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. "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. "[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 moved in with his parents in Colorado and filed for bankruptcy, claiming around one million dollars in debt. [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano (now Baylor Scott and White Medical Center - Plano). The hospital called Rimlawi when it couldn't reach his colleague. However, Baylor did not fire him; instead, he was allowed to resign. is a beautiful and populous city located in Montana U.S. . Duntsch is the first physician sentenced to life in prison for his actions while practicing medicine. However, on January 6, 2012, a week after the surgery, Dr. Duntsch performed another operation on Passmore. Kirby was shocked; he called the owner of University General and warned him that Duntsch would hurt someone, and the hospital would be over. July 14, 2021. Glidewell was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus and partial paralysis on his left side. 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. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. [9] Texas Medical Board Revocation Order. The last charge was for the maiming and paralyzing of Efurd. However, during training for neurosurgery he followed a research path and did fewer operations than most trainees. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. 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. There are many sick people in the world, but Duntsch takes the cake for me. 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. No diagnostic imaging studies were ordered, and no reasonable explanation was offered for his condition. Kirby warned him again that it was only a matter of time. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. A disc in his lower spine had blown out, and the pieces had to be picked out of the space above. 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. It was determined during the repair surgery that Dr. Duntsch had not even been operating on the correct part of Jeff Glidewell's spine. Duntsch continued to medicate Morguloff with prescription pain killers and ignored the change in his condition. [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. Watch the trailer for Dr . Over the course of 18-months, the nefarious ex-surgeon performed a spree of botched . He was sent to a program for impaired physicians when he returned but was allowed to finish his residency. I can't believe that you're accusing me of killing someone,'" Muse recounted. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. She suffered a stroke as a result. [15], Duntsch joined Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano (now Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Plano) as a minimally invasive spine surgeon with a salary of $600,000 per year, plus bonuses. Wendy Renee Young was romantically involved with Texas physician Christopher Duntsch, who became known as "Dr . 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]. Christopher Duntsch, known as "Dr. Death" tried to explain himself in rambling emails, but he only made things worse for his criminal case. But, she never reported Duntsch up the ladder or told anyone about the horrors she witnessed in the operating room. The day after Mary Efurd's surgery, she awoke in excruciating pain and could not turn over or wiggle her toes. 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. 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." and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee Health Center. 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. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. Those words continue to haunt her, and she's tormented by the knowledge that her endorsement caused others to select Duntsch themselves. On May 24, 2011, Christopher Duntsch signed a physician services agreement with Rimlawi and Won's Minimally Invasive Spine Institute (MISI) in Dallas. 2-Dr.Randall Kirby, a hero. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. Muse spiraled into opioid addiction that cost him his wife and his job. Kane also recalled a cocaine- and LSD-fueled night of partying between her, her ex-boyfriend, and Duntsch where, after the end of their all-night party, she saw Duntsch put on his lab coat and go to work. He felt that anyone with a basic knowledge of human anatomy would know that he was operating in the wrong area of Efurd's back. Duntsch told his friends and family that Passmore would be fine in a day or two and to not worry about it. In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. The problem was that Dallas Medical Center did not perform those or even have the proper equipment to do them. 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. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. Soon after starting Efurd's surgery, Duntsch turned to Kissinger and told him he would be performing a craniotomy on Floella Brown. The Dallas district attorney's office subpoenaed every hospital on Duntsch's CV for records of his surgeries. However, Mayfield still woke up with paralysis on occasion. 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.". Duntsch pierced and blocked her vertebral artery with a misplaced screw and refused to stop despite the massive blood loss. Baylor Plano again ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. Dr. Phil airs on weekdays. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . [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. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. Duntsch's next patient was Jeff Glidewell. Then, on December 6, 2011, he operated on seventy-four-year-old Mary Efurd. Glidewell is still in constant pain and has undergone more than 50 procedures to correct the damage left by Duntsch. Pic credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. His sophomore year, he made it as one of the few walk-on players. In January 2013, Kenneth Fennell was scheduled for another operation because he was still experiencing extreme pain in his back. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. [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. [7] He likened what he found when he opened Efurd up to the results of a child playing with Tinkertoys or an erector set. They have two sons. He was brilliant. ", "Greg Abbott Enters Fray in Lawsuits Involving "Sociopath" Doctor", "Abbott sides with Baylor hospital in neurosurgeon lawsuit", "Who Are Robert Henderson And Randall Kirby, The Surgeons Who Tried To Stop 'Dr. 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. Mr. "He said the patient died from having an allergic reaction to the anesthesia." In 2017, Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of maiming one of his patients. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. In October 2011, she registered articles of incorporation to form Duntsch's practice, the Texas Neurosurgical Institute. 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. Duntsch continued operating despite clear signs that Martin was losing massive amounts of blood. [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. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. 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. Dhruv Trivedi. 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. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding. However, it wouldnt be long until Duntschs seemingly perfect career began to unravel. When Duntsch finally returned on Monday, he was fired. He said even a person with the most basic sense of human anatomy would know they were operating in the wrong area. August 28, 2013, 2:01 . Caroline is a writer and Florida-transplant currently living in New York City. In 2014, he developed syringomyelia, a painful condition that causes fluid-filled cysts on the spinal cord. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. A few days later, he took the test and passed. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. Jerry Summers, who grew up with Christopher Duntsch in Tennessee, was left a quadriplegic after agreeing to let "Dr. Death" operate on his neck. He refused to abort the surgery even after a trauma surgeon colleague and an anesthesiologist warned him about the blood loss. However, Duntsch was allowed to resign, and the hospital didn't notify the National Practitioner Data Bankagain. It's hard to find a lawyer willing to jump through these hoops no matter how negligent the doctor was, because Texas limits non-economic damages in most cases to $250,000 per doctor. He avoided it and disappeared for several days. Updated Dec 9, 2022 at 3:25pm. The first season of Dr. Death, which launched in 2018 and ran for seven episodes, examined the life and horrific crimes of Christopher Duntsch. [16][24] Henderson described Duntsch's surgery as an "assault", and concluded that Efurd would have been bedridden had the salvage surgery not been performed. Lee Passmore's screams poured out from the ICU and down the hallway. [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. On December 30, 2011, Duntsch operated on Lee Passmore. In the end, Floella Brown never regained consciousness because Duntsch refused to transfer her to another doctor in time, and her family had to remove her from life support. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. 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. Promising Beginnings. 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. Dubbed "Dr. Death," the case gained national attention, revealing In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. "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. His CV also conveyed he earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from St. Jude Children's Research Hospitals, graduating summa cum laude. 0:05. 0:57. Anatomy of a Tragedy. Duntsch approached Pam Trusty about being on camera during a follow-up visit where she was still in pain. Christopher Duntsch is confirmed to have injured 31 patients and killed two . But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. 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. 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. He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. Dr. Duntsch assured Muse that the pain was normal and prescribed him, strong pain killers, causing him to spiral into an addiction. As a young neurosurgeon in Texas, Duntsch killed . He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. 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. The nursing staff put down towels to soak it up. By this time, Jerry Summers, his childhood friend, had moved from Tennessee to live with Duntsch. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. [4], Early in his tenure at Baylor Plano, Duntsch made a poor impression on his fellow surgeons. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary, and his mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. Duntsch filed a patent for the technology, and he listed himself as one of the inventors even though he had not discovered it. Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. Christopher Duntsch ended up at Millsaps College in Mississippi to play football and was offered financial aid. Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. Young said that Morgan visited often. Floella Brown went under Dr. Deaths knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. '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. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. A spill of more than 500,000-gallons of crude oil from the Keystone Pipeline in December in Kansas was caused by a combination of a faulty weld and "bending stress fatigue" on the pipe, the . Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. He earned his M.D. Three holes had been poked into Efurd's spinal column where Duntsch had tried and failed to insert screws. Lazar was scathingly critical of Duntsch's work. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. The explanation was enough to satisfy Muse. July 19, 2021. He was arrested for DUI in Denver, taken for a psychiatric evaluation in Dallas during one of his visits to see his children, and was arrested in Dallas for shoplifting. Death'? Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. However, he sewed up Glidewell with the sponge still in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. Boop said that Duntsch spent his final year as an attending physician and could not operate independently. My experience with this doctor has been great. Immediately, he started yelling and cussing at me, saying, 'How dare you? Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. Morgan didn't follow Duntsch after he left, however. among the top 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Dallas Magazine states that Duntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research.
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