The series follows two other surgeons, along with . Christopher was raised along with his three younger siblings in a wealthy suburb in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. However, things soon went south. Duntsch approached Pam Trusty about being on camera during a follow-up visit where she was still in pain. Wendy Young had just given birth to their son and lived there with him. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? After his license was revoked,Duntsch fled from Texas. "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop 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. At the time of their meeting, Young was working as a dancer in a strip club. Fennell is in constant pain, and it took several months of rehabilitation before he could begin to walk with a cane. He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. However, part of the problem was proving that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. She came in to have two vertebrae fused, but when she woke up she experienced severe pain and couldnt stand. 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. He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. [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 Legislature has also made suing hospitals difficult. As the trial team put it, the "scary pattern" of Duntsch's actions became apparent to the others in the office, leading the DA to give the green light to take the case to a grand jury. But, he can only walk 30 feet at a time and cannot stand for more than a few minutes. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch has been sentenced to life in prison for a series of botched spinal surgeries, reports CBS . 0:57. [4] [19], Despite both of his surgeries at Dallas Medical Center going catastrophically awry, hospital officials did not report him to the NPDB. Trusty would later find out there was no award and it had just been a paid advertisement. 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and Christopher was determined to follow in those footsteps. 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. Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move and theoretically get a medical license in another state. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. Finally, the board permanently revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. [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. In addition, a neurosurgeon hired to review Brown's case found that Dr. Duntsch had misdiagnosed the source of her pain and was operating in the wrong place. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. He earned his M.D. 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. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most think. 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. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. In January 2013, Kenneth Fennell was scheduled for another operation because he was still experiencing extreme pain in his back. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. [7] He likened what he found when he opened Efurd up to the results of a child playing with Tinkertoys or an erector set. No diagnostic imaging studies were ordered, and no reasonable explanation was offered for his condition. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. 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. ", "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? [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. In one particularly disturbing episode, in March 2015, she said she arrived home to her front door had been locked with a deadbolt from the inside. 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 . Baylor officials took Summers' accusation seriously and ordered Duntsch to take a drug test. 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 . [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Dr. Henderson thought the operation on Mary Efurd was so botched that Christopher Duntsch had to be an imposter. In addition, a ligament in his leg was severed, and a screw was stripped and lodged into a nerve bundle. WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Before he was "Dr. Death" on Wondery's hit 2018 podcast, disgraced former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was a student at Colorado State University. [9] Texas Medical Board Revocation Order. 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. Dr. Death is based on the podcast of the same name, produced by Wondery. Did Christopher Duntsch have a wife and kids? 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. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. is a beautiful and populous city located in Montana U.S. . His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. But soon his patients started to experience complications, and the system failed to protect them. [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. 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. The process involves cutting a hole in the skull to relieve the pressure in the brain. [12], Initially, Duntsch focused heavily on the PhD half of his degree. Left: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. 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. Ghostbar, Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza. July 19, 2021. DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. I am sorry in advance that this blog post is so long. 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. Christopher Duntsch. 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. Then, on July 24, 2012, he operated on Floella Brown. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his vast financial issues. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. "Dr. Duntsch is one great man." Over the course of 18-months, the nefarious ex-surgeon performed a spree of botched . During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. August 28, 2013, 2:01 . 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. Everything went perfect in there." There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch operated and flew out to Las Vegas without securing a call physician. On May 24, 2011, Christopher Duntsch signed a physician services agreement with Rimlawi and Won's Minimally Invasive Spine Institute (MISI) in Dallas. My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. Christopher Duntsch is currently imprisoned at the O.B. The surgery was scheduled for December 30, 2011. Before the surgery, Kirby related that Duntsch said he was the best spine surgeon in Dallas and the only spine surgeon trained in minimally invasive spine surgery. "[4] The Texas Medical Board revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. 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. The day after Mary Efurd's surgery, she awoke in excruciating pain and could not turn over or wiggle her toes. Dr. Phil airs on weekdays. From 2017: https://bit.ly/3hXJccx Jerry Summers believed that his best friend Christopher Duntsch was a talented neurosurgeon who would cure his chronic neck pain. [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 operation should have taken less than ninety minutes; it ultimately lasted four and a half hours.