Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. 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. This resulted in catastrophic outcomes for many of his patients, most of whom suffered severe injury or death because of his negligence. ", "Surgeon who wrote of becoming killer is denied bail reduction", "Elderly couple attends court hoping for justice in Duntsch case", "Who Were The Victims Of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, Who Earned The Ominous Nickname 'Dr. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. 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. His best friend Jerry Summers (played by Dominic Burgess) was left a. The Scariest Thing About "Dr. Death" | Incident Report 190 And so I think, backed into the corner of his whole life falling apart, he was even more certain of his brilliance at the end than he was at the beginning., I think it was a mixture of both intent and ineptitude, the actress told TheWrap. With such goings-on, Duntsch got himself kicked out of his own company. But I think whats terrifying for me, as an audience member, is like, how did you get away with it for so long? And not just any doctor a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif are so much more than co-workers. Another patient, 74-year-old Mary Efurd, wokeup from her procedurescreaming in pain and couldnt bear weight on her legs after her surgery. When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. Did Dr Death have any successful surgeries? - Short-Fact Death: The Undoctored Story launches July 29. To say that this e-mail proved that Duntsch was notfit to be a doctor would be completely correct. Kirby began calling the states medical board once a month, but there was no immediate action taken to remove his license. At The University of Tennessee, his supervisors were also investors in Duntsch's company, Discgenics. She suffered a stroke as a result. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. I'm the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state." 'Dr. Death' Series vs. the True Story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch and a Ph.D. from a top-tier medical school, a decade of experience, and a central role in a pioneering stem-cell treatment. He took out so much of his spinal cord that he couldnt keep his head up. The next year, in 2006, Duntsch became more money-minded. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. But as the ultimate betrayal, some doctors violate this code of conduct in the worst possible ways. While some called his eventual downfall greed-related, who knows what evil the human mind is capable of. 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.". Duntsch had completed a combined MD/PhD program and neurosurgical residency at The University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis, finished a prestigious spinalsurgery fellowship in the city, and even had patents and academic papers in his name. At any given moment in doing the reporting, I had a different answer. 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. In it, he is yelling at Maria Lopez, the medical board investigator assigned to Duntsch's case in January 2013, demanding to know why he was still practicing. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. At morning meetings, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange. At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, "above [the] national average." He proved to be Duntsch's last surgery; University General pushed him out soon afterward. In the case of Dr. Out July 15, Dr. Death introduces viewers to Christopher Duntsch, a real-life Texas-based surgeon who in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison after maiming and even killing almost all of the nearly 40 patients he operated on between 2011 and 2013. Like Jerry Summers (played by Dominic Burgess), he basically paralyzed his friend and then went in for a second surgery and essentially decapitated him. Surprisingly, his superiors at The University of Tennessee also gave him glowing reviews. On July 24, 2012, Duntsch operated on Floella Brown, 64, a banker about to retire after a long career. 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 Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. My take on it is, for him, it was hubris, Jackson told TheWrap. While applying to Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano, TX, Duntsch also provided Dr. Jon Robertson as a reference. How many people did Christopher Duntsch kill? Duntsch never completed (and barely even started) the rigorous ABNS Certification process. Once back in the operating room, his work resulted in the same deadly consequences, according to Texas Medical Board records. [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. Thats the question on everyones minds, including Beils, the reporter who initially broke the story on her Wondery podcast. 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=1149133921, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Texas, University of Tennessee Health Science Center alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Between 2010, when he began his surgery practice, and 2013, Duntsch, then in his early forties, performed many operations that resulted in severe injury or death. It's thrilling if uncomfortable to listen. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. The evidence said otherwise. Death'? Death Based On A True Story, His resume is about 12 pages long, so he looks really good on paper, exactly the kind of doctor that youd be looking for, Michelle Shughart, assistant district attorney in Dallas County told, (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the new docuseries, on Peacock, which features interviews with numerous people intimately involved in the case. These medical professionals do irreparable harm to their patients. What made him cause damage, trauma and even death to his patients? Alligators vs Turtles: Do Turtles Stand a Chance? [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. The Peacock TV series Dr. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. [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. In many cases, it seemed as though he knew the correct procedures but went out of his way to do the wrong thing instead. He performed operations on 38 patients in total, leaving 35 of them with severe injuries or complications. As is the case with programs based on real events, Peacocks Dr. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. It was as if he knew everything to do, Henderson, (played by Alec Baldwin in the Peacock series) toldProPublica, and then hed done virtually everything wrong.. 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. Peacocks Free tier includes 7,500 hours of ad-supported programming, including next-day access to episodes of first-year NBC shows, as well as a rotating lineup of classic films and television series. Dr. Death might not have cared about being a surgeon, just the prestige that came with it. ", "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? I received word today that Jerry Summers has passed away. The financial incentives are a huge part of what was driving him and what was driving the people all around to continue to believe in him in and invest in him despite the fact that there were all these red flags, Shugart said of Duntsch'sability to continue to gain employment. [13] In 2010, Duntsch moved to Dallas. According to the Texas Observer, one of Duntsch's first botched surgeries took place in January 2012 and led to bone fragments from the patient's vertebrae getting lodged in the nerves of his back. He promises to take all pain and suffering away. Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Texas with an impressive resume. It would take years for a few dedicated whistle blowers to finally expose him. Dr. Death - Series Premiere Discussion : r/television - Reddit We are here to help you make your home a better place by providing you with the latest information and trends from around the world. Your email address will not be published. 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. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? | The US Sun - The Sun He grew up in a middle-class suburb with a teacher mom and a missionary/physical therapist dad. Duntsch went on to work at the Legacy Surgery Center of Frisco and University General Hospital Dallas. I dont think that he was damaging these people with intent. Duntsch also received 40 percent of all revenue he generated beyond $800,000 each year. Amphibia Season 2 Now Streaming on Disney+! [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. However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. Duntsch did his surgical residency at The University of Tennessee. Jerrys death is particularly tragic as it is linked to the surgeon from the podcast series Dr Death. Then he also took prescription painkillers and ate a paper blotter of LSD. 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. Joshua Jackson On Role Of Surgeon, Christopher Duntsch, In Peacocks Dr. Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, that it knew of the risk and ignored it. Anatomy of a Tragedy - The Texas Observer He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. [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. His license gone, Duntsch went off the rails. Was Dr Christopher Duntsch board certified? Dr. Duntsch is at number one. Malicious intent? 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. He was even more certain of his brilliance at the end than he was at the beginning, Joshua Jackson tells TheWrap, (Warning: This post contains spoilers through the finale of Peacocks Dr. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. Only time will tell story about Christopher Duntsch finally broke, discovered stem cells in human brain tumors, Duntsch, Ignatova, and Kukekov as the inventors, Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange, At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review, Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of the doctors he spoke to likened Duntsch to Hannibal Lecter, the school refused to verify or deny his claims, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors, According to the prosecutors, TMB had many complaints on file, irreparably damaged by Dr. Death's grievous malpractices, It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate, Henderson actually checked if Duntsch was a real doctor with The University of Tennessee, Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, the same law also helps these very hospitals, For the DA though she proved to be a good witness, A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed, Becker's Hospital Review covered the 13 worst physicians of 2017, as named by Medscape, Dr. Death is now also going to be a TV show, Will it help patients protect their rights. St. Jude refuted this by saying there was no such program there at that time. Kane came into the picture as a deposition witness. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. There's so much news out there, headlines can slip through the cracks. Their suffering becomes yours. He remained there for several months before being allowed to return to the residency.
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