Dr. Death might not have cared about being a surgeon, just the prestige that came with it. Whatever Duntsch set out to be when he first donned that white coat, being a media sensation for all the wrong reasons may not have been his goal. 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. Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of Duntsch's victims and reached out to her. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. [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. (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. The story of Duntsch is featured in a new Peacock show titled Dr. Death, unleashing the terrifying reality. To fellow surgeon Mark Hoyle, he said, "Everybody's doing it wrong. As is the case with programs based on real events, Peacocks Dr. He remained there for several months before being allowed to return to the residency. Death limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and killed so many patients who came in for complex but routine procedures. But even that database is limited. [47] A follow-up docuseries, Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story, was later released on Peacock on July 29, 2021, featuring interviews with some of Duntsch's patients and colleagues, as well as with Henderson, Kirby and Shughart. Christopher Daniel Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon nicknamed Dr. Death for the murder of two of his patients and the maiming of 30 others while working at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The hospital saved face and avoided any lawsuits. It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate and finally revoke Duntsch's license. Meanwhile, his patients kept suffering, and dying, in his OR. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. The life in prison sentence was a deathblow to Duntsch, who, according to his father, was now a humbled man who had lost everything. Christopher Duntsch, also known as "Dr. Death," was a neurosurgeon from Dallas, Texas who had a promising career in medicine until it took a disastrous turn. While the school refused to verify or deny his claims, he wasn't in any of the yearbooks of that time. Despite several warnings from his colleagues that he was not doing the surgery correctly and was attempting to put screws into muscle rather than bone, Duntsch persisted. He wrote, "You will not find a harder working or more willing individual." Or did he have an ulterior motive to maim, torture, and even kill some of his patients? His investors took him to court. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. 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.. 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. Death: The Undoctored Story' about the real story of the doctor who maimed and killed multiple patients. Finally, it was the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that acted too late, too little. Another was rendered a quadriplegic and died a decade later from a related infection. Kane came into the picture as a deposition witness. [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. [13] In 2010, Duntsch moved to Dallas. Even the hospitals that he worked for kept enabling him, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors. Such behavior did not go unnoticed by the other doctors. She had come to Duntsch for cervical spine surgery to ease her worsening neck and shoulder . The fault also lies with the Texas law. His next patient, Floella Brown was 63. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. He declared bankruptcy after listing debts of over $1 million. All Rights Reserved. Hospital officials were exasperated when Duntsch refused to delay Efurd's surgery, and asked him multiple times to care for Brown or transfer her out of his care. And the biggest question on everyones mind is why Dr. Death did it. [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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The COO had accused Duntsch of violating his fiduciary duty to the company and of misappropriating funds. Duntschs case also caught the eye of Dallas County prosecutors, who charged the surgeon with injuring an elderly patient in connection with Efurds case. After moving to Dallas, Texas in 2011 to practice medicine, reports started coming in about patients whose surgeries were botched by Duntsch resulting in severe injuries or even death. How much money did Christopher Duntsch make? He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. Duntsch left Dallas Medical Center, but once again was not reported to the national data bankbecause he was not a full staff member and only worked there using temporary privileges. Unfortunately, Martin and Brown were not alive to tell their tale. The surgery, he said, beaming into the camera, was a resounding . No such thing. 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. [7] While operating on Jacqueline Troy, Duntsch cut one of her vocal cords and an artery and also damaged her trachea. He grew up in a middle-class suburb with a teacher mom and a missionary/physical therapist dad. Through his career, reports of him doing rounds under the influence were commonplace. Her response echoed what she shared on the podcast. [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. In one, Duntsch tells the story, over stock footage of an operation, of a taxing back surgery he performed on an older woman. Surprisingly, his superiors at The University of Tennessee also gave him glowing reviews. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. 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. Yes, Christopher Duntsch had a medical degree. As the eldest of four, his parents remember him as a precocious boy. Slater plays Dr. Randall Kirby while Baldwin is Dr. Robert Henderson. Sadly, being moral and good aren't therequisites schools need to let someone become a doctor. While psychopaths are classified as people with little or no conscience, sociopaths do have a limited, albeit weak, ability to feel empathy and remorse. To say that this e-mail proved that Duntsch was notfit to be a doctor would be completely correct. No, Jerry Summers, who was Christophers childhood friend, is no longer alive. Ellis Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville and will not be eligible for parole until he is 74 years old in 2045. At any given moment in doing the reporting, I had a different answer. Duntsch graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed a residency program in neurosurgery. As Dr. Dubrow made clear in a 2015 interview with Allure, he and his partner in crime dont work for free on Botched, particularly as it takes up so much of their time. 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.". His childhood was seemingly great. Did these doctors truly not see though Duntsch? 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. In 2010, he completed the MDPhD and neurosurgery residency programs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center,[3] and subsequently completed a spine fellowship program at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Memphis. If you listened to #DrDeath you know his story. Across two years, Duntsch injured 32 of his 38 patients, maiming many and leaving them with life-changing injuries. If youre a big fan of NBCs stable of shows, want to catch up on some past hit movies or just dont want to shell out the cash for Netflix or Hulu, the free version of Peacock is great. But little did his patients know, 33 of his 37 prior patients suffered almost unheard-of complications from his surgeries (think permanent nerve damage, paralysis, and DEATH). When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. Its easier for a hospital to just kick the can down the road and let the doctor become some other hospitals problem than to risk backlash from the doctor, she said. Death: The Undoctored Story launches July 29. 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. But I think it speaks to the inequality of who is in power in these bureaucratic institutions where it has to be like two top surgeons who go after him nonstop, putting their necks out, who have to get the government involved, rather than just like a nurse who knows whats up just saying, This didnt go well, and they could just be fired without consequence.. They have two sons. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. [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. According to Dallas Magazine, Dr. Christopher Duntsch talked a big game. He then packed it with too much of a substance intended to stop the bleeding. That said; the 12 jurors did what the Texas Medical Board should have done. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. I think some of them he probably did intentionally. My take on it is, for him, it was hubris, Jackson mused. 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. Death Showrunner Breaks Down Turning Hit Podcast Into New Drama Series On Peacock, AnnaSophia Robb Stars In New Series Dr. According to ProPublica, Boop was aware of a complaint Duntsch used drugs before seeing patients. Meanwhile, Brown went brain dead and passed away. Death' found guilty of maiming woman during surgery", "Former neurosurgeon sentenced for purposely maiming patients", "Doctor convicted of botched surgery gets life in prison", "Christopher Daniel Duntsch v. The State of Texas Appeal from Criminal District Court No. At morning meetings, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange. There is no face to the monster you are hearing about, the one destroying lives. 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. There are some who believe that he never wanted to be in the ORat all. Once he'd arrived in Dallas, it quickly became apparent Duntsch wasn't the hotshot surgeon he had claimed to be. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. Back in 2018, the Dr. Death podcast took the world by storm when we learned about the killer doctor, Christopher Duntsch. [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. 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. Death, an eight-episode series on the terrifying true story of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, notifies the viewer that certain parts have been fictionalized solely for dramatic purposes. Martin paid with her lifebecause her doctor was too proud to say he screwed up. 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. Then he also took prescription painkillers and ate a paper blotter of LSD. Take the case of Dr. Death, aka Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. "[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 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. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. 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. This very friend would later end up a quadriplegic under Duntsch's weapon of a scalpel. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. His license gone, Duntsch went off the rails. There are 31 people left alive today, irreparably damaged by Dr. Death's grievous malpractices. [8] Duntsch returned home to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). Once back in the operating room, his work resulted in the same deadly consequences, according to Texas Medical Board records. Between 2011 and 2013, Christopher Duntsch operated on 37 patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Efurd was left paralyzed. Feb. 7, 2017. Premise: Based on the podcast of the same name, the limited series tells the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), a Dallas surgeon who left more than 30 patients dead or permanently injured until two doctors (Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater) and an Assistant District Attorney (AnnaSophia Robb) work to stop him. Dr. Death is now also going to be a TV show with Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin playing main roles. 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. The docuseries aims to show the real people who were harmed by Dr. Death, some of whom are still alive today to share their stories. In it,was a mirror with cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. The evidence said otherwise. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. However, the procedure resulted in catastrophic consequences; Summers suffered a vertebral artery dissection that caused paralysis from the neck down and left him a quadriplegic. Death'? You can also watch all eight episodes of Dr. Death without ads through its third tier Premium Plus plan, which costs $9.99/month. "[45], Wondery Media launched a ten-episode podcast series named Dr. Death, focusing on Duntsch. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. The statute of limitations made them base their case on only six victims. This lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in 2013. According to Rosenblum, Jerry Summers had forgiven Chris Duntsch several years prior to his death. Dr Duntsch botched 35 of the 38 surgeries he performed from 2011 to 2013 before his medical license was revoked. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntsch's patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. Death portrays him as having only one child, but in reality he has two sons with his wife, Michelle Young. Duntsch ended up slicing her vertebral artery, stopping blood and oxygen flow to her brain. And not just Dallas County, I don't recall hearing about it anywhere." Let's delve into what made him tick, and how the medical community failed the victims of Dr. Christopher Daniel Duntsch. This True Crime Podcast Follows One Baby Jane Doe Case That Leads to Another Mystery (EXCLUSIVE), A Commune Goes Viral on TikTok Now, Former Members Are Speaking Out (EXCLUSIVE), The Botched Investigation of Heather Bogle's Murder Put a Detective Behind Bars. [4][5] In 2017, he was convicted of maiming one of his patients and sentenced to life imprisonment. The surgery had left him unable to move his arms and legs, making him a quadriplegic. Per Bustle, Christopher is currently incarcerated at O.B. It is an unfortunate reminder that even highly educated medical professionals are prone to human error when it comes to practicing medicine. When the story about Christopher Duntsch finally broke, it affected his patients, or rather, hisvictims, but many people missed it. And professional marketing videos got him ready and willing patients. All Duntsch got was a slap on the wrist while his blood-soaked foray into the OR continued. Death, Surgery Records. At the time, Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before the Texas Medical Board revoked his license. They go, We met the funniest, funniest doctor in Newport Beach,' the newlywed surgeon once shared. What made this well-recommended neurosurgeon harm his patients and himself? Duntsch then joined Dallas Medical Center. Jerrys death is particularly tragic as it is linked to the surgeon from the podcast series Dr Death. I really wish I knew she said. [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 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. CHRISTOPER Duntsch, also known as Dr. Death, was a doctor who seriously harmed and killed patients during surgeries in hospitals across Texas. His reckless actions ruined the lives of countless people and serves as an example of how medical malpractice can ruin lives when proper procedures are not followed. Is it Safe To Jump On A Trampoline While Pregnant? What is the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath? Death'? She said he was a very long talker and he would call his dad up and have these like two-hour conversations with him. Probably not, Robb added. [33][34] The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations were to run out. He was nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death for malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients and killing two of them while working at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The patients on Botched get an appearance fee and their costs are handled by the show, he noted. [16] Kirby also recalled that Duntsch's skills in the operating room left much to be desired; as Kirby put it, "he could not wield a scalpel".[4]. 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. When he finally turned up again, he was made to attended a program for impaired physicians. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. Or was Duntsch just good at hiding his true self? This way hisrecordin the national data bank remained spotless and he quickly moved on to Dallas Medical Center, where he was recruited to work just three months after leaving Baylor-Plano. Those are the words that Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas neurosurgeon, wrote to his girlfriend in 2011 in the midst of a two-year period that left 33 of his 38 patients maimed, wounded or . The Texas Medical Board must stop this sociopath Duntsch immediately or he will continue to maim and kill innocent patients, Kirby wrote in the letter.

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