[11] Several of his friends recalled him going to work after a night of doing drugs, with one of them saying he would never allow Duntsch to operate on him. (But he was clearly poorly trained with an ego the size of Tennessee). A lot of people seem to think its a mix between narcissism and inadequacy. [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. Per Bustle, Christopher is currently incarcerated at O.B. 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. He was left unable to move from the neck down after Christopher Duntsch, who was once his closest friend, operated on him. For the DA though she proved to be a good witness. Baylor Medical Center-Plano began a formal peer review into the surgery and Duntsch took a leave of absence, but after he passed a drug test and an outside reviewer determined he did not have any drug or psychological issues, his surgery privileges were reinstated. Was this a way of keeping the University of Tennessee's ranking up? Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of Duntsch's victims and reached out to her. [7], Shughart argued that Duntsch should have known he was likely to hurt others unless he changed his approach, and that his failure to learn from his past mistakes demonstrated that his maiming of Efurd was intentional. Malicious intent? Preston and Aiden are both in their twenties now, and have been featured in interviews about their fathers crimes. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. The evidence said otherwise. Dallas Magazine statesthatDuntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. Christopher Duntsch: The Remorseless Killer Surgeon Called 'Dr. Death' Death: The Undoctored Story launches July 29. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. And not just Dallas County, I don't recall hearing about it anywhere." But I think whats terrifying for me, as an audience member, is like, how did you get away with it for so long? The very first complaint should have triggered an investigation. He attempted to fuse together vertebrae in his neck, but the surgery went drastically wrong and left Summers a quadriplegic. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. The Dallas district attorneys office discovered through a search of hospital records that Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgery resident, had only completed about 100 operations during his training. By this time, however, Brown was brain dead. Days later, the board temporarily suspended Duntschs license and later decided to revoke his license entirely. The civil attorneys in these cases were able to land a rather damning e-mail sent from Duntsch to his girlfriend/physical assistant.The girlfriend was Kimberly Morgan, and in the e-mail to her, the ramblings of a mind gone wrong are clear. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. Death showrunner] says this all the time, if he had taken a right instead of a left, if he had done strictly research and not gone into surgery, would any of this have happened? The story of Duntsch is featured in a new Peacock show titled Dr. Death, unleashing the terrifying reality. I have one last thing to remind the Texas Medical Boardyour mission is to protect the publicDr. Many shake and tremble, some have unimaginable pain. Soon afterward, he severely maimed Jeff Glidewell after mistaking part of his neck muscle for a tumor during a routine cervical fusion, severing one of his vocal cords, cutting a hole in his esophagus and slicing an artery. Or at least a morally upright one. As a result, Duntsch was removed from his role as founder, president, and chief science officer at DiscGenics, Inc., as well as his seat on the board. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. [14] He persuaded Young to come with him; Young agreed, since she had grown up in the Dallas area. Dr. Death and Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story are now available to stream on Peacock. He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. So I feel like it was like a mixture of drugs, I think hubris, I think narcissism I dont think he was a good doctor. Chris Duntsch left DiscGenics after being sued by the companys former Chief Operating Officer in 2011. What turned Dr. Christopher Duntsch into Dr. Death? Having exhausted his football eligibility, Duntsch decided to switch to a career in medicine. Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2017, finally ensuring the scalpel would stay out of his hands. The real question is:Why couldn't anyone stop him in time? He later told Glidewell that it was clear Duntsch had tried to kill him. When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. But on January 6, 2012, a week after the surgery, Duntsch went back in. The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education has strict rules about residency programs. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. 'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - People And not just any doctor a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. The evidence collected by the DA's office by subpoenaing every hospital on his CVshows Duntsch completes a fraction of these. Victim of Real-Life 'Dr. Death' Believes There Are Others Like Him Out Christopher Duntsch. 38. The 31 people who survived Dr. Duntsch's scalpel face a struggle for the rest of their lives. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. This May Be the Most Horrifying Surgery Story You've Ever Heard All Rights Reserved. Joshua Jackson, who plays Duntsch, and AnnaSophia Robb, who plays assistant district attorney Michelle Shughart, the real-life prosecutor responsible for putting Duntsch behind bars, spoke with The Wrap about why they think Dr. Death did it. But the same law also helps these very hospitals in keeping doctor credentials confidential. It would be very easy and for people to just plop Black Hat on him and call it a day and sleep well at night thinking that he was an aberration.". Dr. Death (2021 TV series) Dr. Death is an American crime drama miniseries created by Patrick Macmanus, based on the podcast of the same name, focusing on the titular Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon who became infamous for permanently mutilating his patients, killing two of them. With such goings-on, Duntsch got himself kicked out of his own company. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. The life in prison sentence was a deathblow to Duntsch, who, according to his father, was now a humbled man who had lost everything. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. 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. In 2005, partway through the six-year program,he became the director of the tissue bank. 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. The original patent still holds, and hopefully, Discgenics would be able to break out of the Dr. Death shadow todo some real anti-cancer work instead. Soon though, red flags began to pop up. I think he believed, I think he still believes, that he is a brilliant surgeon and that everybody else is at fault. Welcome to H-O-M-E.org, your one stop shop for all the best in entertainment, movies, music, celebrities, health, lifestyle, sports, technology and education. It is an unfortunate reminder that even highly educated medical professionals are prone to human error when it comes to practicing medicine. This led to another 20 patients suffering. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. The patients on Botched get an appearance fee and their costs are handled by the show, he noted. Death, was a neurosurgeon whose career started off with promise but quickly went downhill due to his involvement in numerous botched surgeries leaving several of his patients permanently injured or dead. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. Again, he never revealed what went wrong to the other staff. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, that it knew of the risk and ignored it. Slater plays Dr. Randall Kirby while Baldwin is Dr. Robert Henderson. Thats almost like, Hey, lets just see what happens. So I just dont know.. [7], Henderson later recalled wondering if Duntsch was an impostor; he could not believe that a real surgeon would botch Efurd's surgery so badly. The Dr. Death true story reveals that neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch injured 33 out of 38 patients that he saw over a span of less than two years. Duntsch never completed (and barely even started) the rigorous ABNS Certification process. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacocks Dr. Floella Brown went under Dr. Death's knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. The good-looking but eerie Jamie Dornan. Unfortunately, Martin and Brown were not alive to tell their tale. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif are so much more than co-workers. With Ignatova and Kukekov in tow, he filed patents under a company he founded. [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. The Secrets of Stardew Valleys Elusive Eel, Praetorium FFXIV A Different Perspective, Edwin Rist: The Feather Thief of the British Museum, New Moon: Reflecting Edwards Perspective, Storing Brazil Nuts for Maximum Shelf Life, The Mysterious Clicks of the Black Bird: Deciphering The Noise. Death: The Undoctored Story' about the real story of the doctor who maimed and killed multiple patients. [43], The conviction of Duntsch has been called a precedent-setting case, as it is believed to be the first time that a physician has been convicted on criminal charges for actions in the course of their medical work. From the top of his class to life in prison: things did not go as he planned. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. They have two sons. This all happened despite numerous complaints from surgeons and patients, as well as allegations of drug and alcohol abuse. But for his victims, the judgment was a big relief. [33][34] The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations were to run out. I received word today that Jerry Summers has passed away. 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. Death.). He declared bankruptcy after listing debts of over $1 million. "You don't know this yet, but you will never walk again. (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the new docuseries "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story" on Peacock, which features interviews with numerous people intimately involved in the case.). The majority of neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries throughout their residency period. In fact, he went on to work at two more hospitals. Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries as training requirements. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. [38][39] On December 10, 2018, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed Duntsch's conviction by a 21 split decision. 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. Your email address will not be published. She said he was a very long talker and he would call his dad up and have these like two-hour conversations with him. The surgery had left him unable to move his arms and legs, making him a quadriplegic. In an article in Texas Observer,author SaulElbein says that one of the doctors he spoke to likened Duntsch to Hannibal Lecter three times in eight minutes. The difference between Season 6 and the other seasons is it took me more than one surgery on several of the patients to get them fixed. 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. Duntsch could have turned it into something good and meaningful. An Analysis of Christopher Duntsch, Dr. Not only did he harm his patients, but he kept trying to practice. Additionally, the broken disco ball and the damaged bumper on his car suggest that Dr. Duntsch was not overly concerned with following standards of professionalism, which may explain why he neglected to wear any undergarments beneath his scrubs. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. The Hippocratic Oath is sworn by all doctors and binds them to do no harm. To be a good doctor, you have to be a good human being. [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. Negligence? 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. So the more it became untrue that Duntsch was a good surgeon and it was so obvious and evident from everything that was going on in his life, the more he had to believe over and above everybody else. While there, he damaged patient Jeff Cheney's spinal cord, leaving him without feeling on the right side of his body. On July 24, 2012, Duntsch operated on Floella Brown, 64, a banker about to retire after a long career. Did Dr Duntsch have any successful surgeries? - IronSet ", "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? According to his lawyer, Duntsch was a scapegoat. That seems like something that goes far beyond. I can tell you that, with the intention of allowing audiences to come to their own conclusions, my conclusion is that Christopher is an extraordinarily complex and tragic figure. The Link Between Chris Benoits Health and CTE, Dr. Phil Breaks Silence on Medical Condition, The Legacy of Attila: From Wu-Tang Clan to Hollywood, Britney Spears Journey from Star Search to Superstardom, Danielle Colbys Pivotal Role in American Pickers, Alligators Eating Humans: The Truth Behind the Myth. It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate and finally revoke Duntsch's license. However, the proportion of successful operations compared to those which resulted in injury or death remains unclear. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. [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. He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. St. Jude refuted this by saying there was no such program there at that time. Some never went to trial and had out-of-court settlements. Jodi Smith. The surgery, he said, beaming into the camera, was a resounding . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved CHRISTOPER Duntsch, also known as Dr. Death, was a doctor who seriously harmed and killed patients during surgeries in hospitals across Texas. In the first 15 minutes of the premiere alone, the viewer is asked to watch as Dr. Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson) cuts his patients open, and loudly clamors at bone with hammers and screws .
Carrick Times Death Notices, Michael Rossi Chicago, Articles D