By the end of the week, administrators told Duntsch he would no longer be operating at Dallas Medical Center. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. He also reported shooting pains throughout his body. 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." 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. It was Duntsch, babbling about his family being in danger. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most think. 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 Associated Press) A Texas neurosurgeon branded a "sociopath" by his colleagues could be facing 99 years in prison over multiple charges of intentionally botching . The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. Although he wasn't a talented athlete, he trained for hours on his own and made it as a linebacker on his high school football team at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis. This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn into Dr. Death. "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop him.". The first screening came back diluted with tap water, but a second, taken a few days later, came back clean. She was 27, and he was 40. He is not eligible for parole until 2045; he will be 74 years old by then. Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971. Death.. He stalled at first, telling administrators he got lost on the way to the lab. When Jerry Summers woke up, he couldn't move his arms or legs. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. Legacy Surgery Center in Frisco (now Frisco Ambulatory Surgery Center). Duntsch also appears in no yearbooks during the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D. After intense rehab and his determination, eventually, he was able to use a walker and cane to mobilize himself. Duntsch was fired after he performed a surgery and immediately left for Las Vegas, leaving no one to look after his patient. 11:15 PM on Mar 1, 2014 CST. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch has been sentenced to life in prison for a series of botched spinal surgeries, reports CBS . A Texas jury found Christopher Duntsch guilty Feb. 14 of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. Barry Morguloff, the owner of a pool service company, was left with bone fragments in his spinal canal after Duntsch tried to pull a damaged, Jerry Summers, a longtime friend of Duntsch's, came to Plano to have, Kellie Martin was undergoing a routine back operation when Duntsch cut through her spinal cord and severed an artery. 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. Duntsch continued operating despite clear signs that Martin was losing massive amounts of blood. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. After interviewing dozens of Duntsch's patients and their survivors, prosecutors concluded that Duntsch's acts were indeed criminal, and nothing short of imprisonment would prevent him from practicing medicine again. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. 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. 3-Jeff Glidewell, another victim of Duntsch's. 4-Michelle Shugart, the woman who brought this all to fruition . [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. Unfortunately, when Morguloff woke up, he began to experience continuous pain, paresthesia, and loss of sensation in his left leg. The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations ran out. Kenneth Fennell, the first patient Duntsch operated on at Baylor Plano, was left with chronic pain after Duntsch operated on the wrong part of his back. The surgery was supposed to take less than 45 minutes and ultimately lasted over four hours. His mother, Susan, was a school teacher. 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. Duntsch recommended fusing Morguloff's L5-S1 vertebrae, and the surgery was scheduled for January 11, 2012. During a deposition, Megan Krane recalled Duntsch eating a paper blotter of LSD and taking prescription painkillers on his birthday. Many readers may recognize the name Christopher Duntsch, a doctor who allegedly was negligent in his practice for years before finally being stripped of his medical license. In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of . Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. As of this date, there have been no summary or administrative restrictions or suspension of Duntsch's medical staff membership or clinical privileges during the time he has practiced at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.". During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. "It's a miracle," she said in the infomercial later promoted on his website. Christopher Duntsch, once a supremely confident neurosurgeon with a solid rsum and a wealth of potential, fled town in disgrace last year under a scalding cascade . Prosecutors also faulted Duntsch's employers for not reporting him. Ellis Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas. 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. Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. He was sent to a program for impaired physicians when he returned but was allowed to finish his residency. ", "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? WFAA-TVChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. She was left with just one vocal cord. In 2005, partway through the six-year program, he became the director of the tissue bank. Dr. Fulton never worked with Duntsch again. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. One screw was jabbed directly into her spinal canal and had skewered the nerves that control one leg and the bladder. Learn more. 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. [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. Robert Lowes. Berry Morguloff was Dr. Duntsch's next unsuspecting victim. On 06/26/2013 MARY EFURD filed a Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice lawsuit against CHRISTOPHER D DUNTSCH, MD. Inside The Death Of Chris Benoit, The Professional Wrestler Who Killed His Family And Then Himself, Archaeologists Just Uncovered A Massive Roman Phallic Carving In Spain And It Might Be The Biggest Ever Found, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Duntsch, 40 at that time, bought an appletini for Young, 27, and they started their relationship. However, things soon went south. [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. Death'? [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. After he arrived in town, he secured a deal with the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and was given surgical rights at the hospital. Her husband could not hold himself up; he had no support of his own and could barely speak. Duntsch is a serial maimer and killer. When he woke, he could not move anything on the right side of his body. [9][24][19][7] After several days, Kirby was brought in to repair the damage and later described what he found after opening Glidewell back up as the work of a "crazed maniac". The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. The story of Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch, feels like something out of a movie or book. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. 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. As a result, Summers lost almost 1,200 mL of blood. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through . ", "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? Troy was sedated for weeks and forced to eat through a feeding tube because food was getting into her lungs. Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano (now Baylor Scott and White Medical Center - Plano). Shughart argued that Duntsch should have known he would 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. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. The hospital hired him and granted him temporary surgical privileges until his reference checks were completed. MISI representatives stated he would brag about his capabilities and be critical of the work of other surgeons. Passmore had a herniated disc in his lower spine pressing on a nerve causing him pain. He died in 2021 of an infection related to complications from Duntsch's operation. "Something was wrong," Dr. Rimlawi said, "whether it be impairment from drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or a combination of all three." Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. Now, his time at the university . Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. He thought it was odd that Duntsch wasn't working at Baylor Plano anymore, so he called his insurance company, who stated Christopher Duntsch was in good standing. [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. He didn't contact a lawyer, although he struggled with the decision. My surgery was 3 months ago but i noticed difference right away. She says she even filed a temporary protective order against him in April 2012, after he showed up banging on her window at 2 am.
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