In July 2015, he was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (his hands and surgical tools). He discovered a significant esophageal injury that belabored Glidewells breathing and found a sponge that had been left in the soft tissue of his neck. Hes jailed on a $600,000 bond, and his trial is set for January 31, 2017. He rode the desk until he couldnt, when things in the county got too busy and all the examiners were required to take calls away from the office to cover the 200-odd scene visits. Christopher Duntsch didn't. Its less than a millimeter from the spinal canal. Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death." (Peacock/Scott McDermott/Peacock) The real Duntsch, a Texas-based surgeon, maimed or killed 33 of 38 surgical patients between 2011 and . Summers declined an interview in Memphis and would not answer questions on the phone. He told Morgan that Young, who was pregnant at the time with their first son, was his close friend and secretary. Duntschdestroyed the lives of numerous patients who were seeking relief from back problems. He stayed in New York while everyone. Facebook Dr. Christopher Duntsch on his first day as a neurosurgeon. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. When his patient woke up in the recovery room unable to move his extremities, Duntsch failed to perform a CAT scan or MRI. The real question isn't why Dr. Duntsch did what he did. This led to another 20 patients suffering. Joshua Jackson as Dr. Christopher Duntsch Asked if he had a chance to meet with Duntsch, who's now serving a life sentence for maiming Mary Efurd during what should have been routine surgery,. That venue is a civil or federal jury trial, and I would accept that if it gave the way forward to disclose, remedy, address what happened at DMC with these patients., Henderson, like Passmore, began his own investigation. Kane dated Summers for a year. This is notably weird, considering Christopher Duntsch trained underDr. Boop, so you'd assume that theyoperated together as part of the whole learning surgery process. Somebody knocks back and I am like Who in the f---is in my house, Young recalled in the four-part Peacock docuseries Dr. He was the first surgeon to do so, but not the last. There was Duntschs childhood friend, Jerry Summers, who woke up from a procedure unable to move his arms and legs. Duntschcrammed a surgical sponge into the wound, then sewed it up. The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education has strict rules about residency programs. They had discovered stem cells in human brain tumors. Then it just started to all unravel.. She also says they snorted cocaine from a small pile that he kept on a dresser in his home office. He would climb a ladder and take aerial photos of crime scenes to aid in the death investigation. He stayed local for medical school, enrolling the next year at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate and finally revoke Duntsch's license. His pain management specialist advised against an operation. Around that same time, Duntschs behavior was becoming erratic. Seven more doctors voiced complaints before TMB finally canceled Dr. Death's license. It was something that made us all nervous, but we never had any proof, Boop said in the phone call. Duntsch ended up slicing her vertebral artery, stopping blood and oxygen flow to her brain. She had clinical experience and often spent time with Duntsch when he was conducting research. She, after being in Duntsch's OR, would never walk again. July 19, 2021 The former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch was finally brought to justice after injuring and maiming over 30 of his patients during surgery and allegedly causing the deaths of two more. He seemed really distraught and I was scared, she said of the father of her two children. We moved in together within three months, and then I became pregnant.. Duntsch hired Morgan while he was still with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, and she began on August 29, 2011. are both available to stream on Peacock now. Even the hospitals that he worked for kept enabling him, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors. But Passmore is one of the lucky ones. He also vibrateshis chest shakes, his right hand jitters. And not just Dallas County, I don't recall hearing about it anywhere." Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. 33 of his surgeries went horribly wrong. It was the invention of me and my wife, because we made all primary experiments. He argues that the patients were just telling stories and that Passmore was fine after his operation. He thought surgery might give him some relief, eliminate the need for drugs, solve both problems at once. GQ calls it the scariest podcast of 2019. The arrest report says that he was driving on two flat tires, and one was completely gone and was on the rim. Officers found an empty bottle of Mikes Hard Lemonade on the floorboard and a full one in the console. Who else is left? Every patient mentioned in this story who has sued, except for Passmore, has settled. It might be Baylor, it might be somebody down in Austin, it might be somebody somewhere, but its the only way you can get your voice out there. Was it you? Young said in the docuseries. The real question is:Can this TV show bring about a change in medical law, or how hospitals treat their patients and doctors? Young puts Morgan there, too, although Morgan denied it in her deposition. Where Is Dr. Christopher Duntsch aka . In 2005, partway through the six-year program,he became the director of the tissue bank. Duntsch was told to take a drug test but disappeared instead. During the 45-minute surgery, Duntsch cut through one of Martin's arteries. On July 1, 2011, Duntsch and Baylor Plano agreed to an inducement deal. At morning meetings, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Morgan, in her deposition, said Duntsch called her to say he got lost going to the lab and never took the test. This posterior longitudinal ligament is one of the spines two major stabilizers. Eddie Redmayne dans le rle de Charlie Cullen et Jessica Chastain dans le rle d'Amy I thought is this somebody that youve pissed off? He didnt contact a lawyer, although he wrestled with the decision. At Baylor Regional Medical Center,after botched surgeries and complaints from fellow doctors, Duntsch resigned. Finally, it was the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that acted too late, too little. Kukekov had discovered stem cells in human brain tumors, which presented a huge potential for the development of new cancer drugs. Talking to the Dallas Morning News in 2014, Duntsch said he provided the test and was clean. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. In February 2017, Duntsch, 50, was convicted of a first-degree felony for intentionally injuring an elderly victim. Mary Efurd, 74, was to have two vertebrae fused, linked by a metal plate. There are some who believe that he never wanted to be in the ORat all. Or, they should be: the scientists names are misspelled. Let's delve into what made him tick, and how the medical community failed the victims of Dr. Christopher Daniel Duntsch. To be a good doctor, you have to be a good human being. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Christopher Duntsch's medical license was suspended by the State Board after heavy lobbying from his former colleagues and wounded patients on June 26, 2013. Baylor calls the allegations against it extremely frustrating and difficult and reiterates that Duntsch came with references from multiple sources who worked with him in his residency and fellowship training programs., To put these misleading allegations into fair context, Baylor Plano is part of a hospital system that has made substantial investments over several decades to continuously enhance the quality of care we provide our patients, and we have gained many recognitions for these processes. But Young said Duntsch wasnt happy at the news of another baby and the couple got into a heated argument, during which Duntsch admitted to seeing other women. If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? In November 2011, Passmore was hooked on prescription opiates. I dont have Facebook, I dont Myspace. He stayed at the University of Tennessee for his surgical residency, spending the standard five years on neurosurgery and one year learning general surgery. In a statement, the hospital said it cooperated with the Texas Medical Board when asked, and did not file its own complaint because it was aware someone else already had. The evidence collected by the DA's office by subpoenaing every hospital on his CVshows Duntsch completes a fraction of these. They eventually went back to his home, dancing to music under a disco ball he had in his office. After five days in the ICU and hours of agonizing rehab, Mayfield requireda cane to walkand was unable to ride in vehicles for long periods. What isscarierare the 12 names that follow his. His dad is a physical therapist. One of the early investors in Duntsch's company Discgenics was Dr. Rand Page. Ghostbar, Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza. Plano surgeon Christopher Duntsch left a trail of bodies. In emails, he alleges that he was at the center of a vast conspiracy to bilk money from the hospitals where he practiced. He alleged that Duntsch promised to pay him in stocks and out of his own salary but failed to follow through. They lived in a future colleagues condo at the W Hotel while they looked for a home in Plano, close to where Duntsch would be practicing. Dr. Robert Henderson, a spine surgeon who has practiced in Dallas for more than 30 years, started digging after being assigned corrective surgery on two of Duntschs patients. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. She describes investigators with binoculars camped out on their street in a white van, trying to see into their home. He was born in Montana, but his family settled in a suburb east of Memphis where the median household income is about $30,000 higher than the rest of the country. In it,was a mirror with cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. I dont want to be in your magazine, sir, I apologize, Passmore told me. Britney Spears claims she was 'scared of drunk dad Jamie' & family 'abandoned her to stay in beach house SHE bought', RHOBH's Erika Jayne breaks down in tears & admits she's 'lonely' after friends 'turned on her' when she went 'broke', Kendall Jenner stuns in an all-black gothic look for glam new photoshoot, Russell Brand defends his dog after pooch mauled wallaby to death on walk, Why odd double act Kim Kardashian and Kate Moss are in fact a perfect match, Teen Mom Leah Messer shows stretch marks on tummy after giving birth to three kids & reveals if she'll get a tummy tuck, Duntsch, 50, was convicted of a first-degree felony. According to Texas Medical Board records, Summers vertebral artery was damaged, and he lost more than two liters of blood while intubated. Last week, she had her third child, this one with her new partner. The operation continued. Will it help patients protect their rights? Despite receiving complaints dating back to 2012, the Texas Medical Board didnt revoke Duntschs privileges until June 2013. Like Summers, Floella Browns vertebral artery was damaged, causing massive bleeding. Was this a way of keeping the University of Tennessee's ranking up? Some never went to trial and had out-of-court settlements. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . But it was growing increasingly clear that his opportunities were running out. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. He harmed the very people who trusted him. His mom was a teacher. Yet, instead of saving lives and using his knowledge for good, the opposite happened. Unfortunately, it became the patients' burden to bear. Martin, it turned out, had bled to death in the intensive care unit while undergoing a relatively common procedure known as a laminectomy, which involves removing spongy tissue between the discs to relieve pressure. Duntsch in Dallas In 2010, he relocated to Dallas with his girlfriend Wendy Renee Young. He has taken Baylor Plano to court to change the Texas law requiring patients to prove that a hospital intended to harm them when it granted privileges to someone who was unsafe. I dont know if hes there to harm me or what his true intentions were, she said in the docuseries. Hed found a few months that were not accounted for in Duntschs educational history. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Christopher Duntsch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. He thought about how all that might have been stolen from him in a matter of hours. Mayfield also developed syringomyeliain 2014 - fluid-filled cysts that emerged within his spinal cord, which compressednerves to cause more pain and damage to the sensitive area. It was a downward spiral pretty rapidly after he lost his license, Young said in the docuseries. 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 . His fellow neurosurgeons found him to be fast-talking and cocksure, a bit of a loner. He cant run or swim with his children. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. The shocking story of a madman with a scalpel. Dallas County Jail/AP, Duntsch filed for bankruptcy and was arrested in Denver for driving under the influence on Jan. 10, 2014, according to, Ultimately, on that case, he ended up getting 12 months (of) probation and a small fine, Michelle Shughart, assistant district attorney in Dallas County, told, Duntsch is now living out his life behind bars, but Young told CNBC's, starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater. Henderson was brought in to operate two days later. She says his favorite saying was You can kiss my black ass while Im watching black-girl porn on my monitor. Which may help explain why she didnt report the three-page email he sent on December 9, 2011. Its hard to find good conversation with a random person, Young says. At Baylor Regional Medical Center, during a simple laminectomy, Duntsch slashed one of Martin's major arteries butrefused to admit his mistake. Her body was in the Collin County Medical Examiners office in March 2012. His screams poured out of Baylor Planos intensive care unit and down the hallway, creating a panic in his mother. They numbed the pain radiating from his lower back, down each of his legs. Passmore later discovered that, less than a week after his second surgery, Duntsch had operated on 45-year-old Barry Morguloff. After graduating as a physician with above-average grades, he had his whole life ahead of him. He had blood all over him. During a deposition with Passmores lawyer, attorney James Girards, a woman named Megan Kane recalls Duntsch eating a paper blotter of LSD and taking prescription painkillers on his birthday in either 2006 or 2007. The nerve root had been amputated. There was a dissection of one patients esophagus, and screws that an indictment labeled far too long that caused significant blood loss in another patient. Patrick Clerkin, a longtime friend, stopped at the doorway with his two kids as well as Passmores 7- and 9-year-old girls. She enlisted Duntsch to help fix it. They went on to have two children. According to court filings, he was supposed to be overseen by an attending physician in the operating room; this allegedly was not adhered to, either. Neurosurgeon Duntsch Found Guilty, Faces Life in Prison, In Duntschs Assault Trial, Questions About His Role After Patient Deaths, In Second Day of Testimony, Doctor Calls Neurosurgeon Duntschs Outcomes Catastrophic. Morgan says they spent a lot of time in clubs. As one lawyer told me off the record, they faced an almost impossible dilemma: settle and give their families a financial cushion for the future medical costs but sacrifice their right to tell their stories. In April 2015, he was arrested for stealing $887.30 in Walmart merchandise: five pairs of sunglasses, five watches, two pairs of shoes, four ties, two briefcases, a wallet, cologne, necklaces, a walkie-talkie. Wendy Young knew her ex-boyfriend Christopher Duntschs medical career was unraveling, but she wasnt prepared for what she said was his bizarre behavior that coincided with his fall from grace as a surgeon. To say that this e-mail proved that Duntsch was notfit to be a doctor would be completely correct. My entire house had been turned upside down.. Young says hed been breaking into her apartment, and one day she came home to find him inside, covered in blood. Duntsch suspected that this had something to do with his vodka bottle and neurostimulants. It said he was $1 million in debt. I'd call him a sociopath." By the time the Dallas County district attorney's office got involved and brought criminal charges against. Passmore was allowed to resign and still access his long-term disability insurance, which he says hed paid into for more than 10 years. He said, Its not your case, its another case, and were looking into it. I trust that man wholly. But, he says, It all started coming together in my head that this isnt a one-time mistake.. Dr. Duntsch eventually began a long-term romantic relationship with Wendy Renee Young while in Memphis. According to Duntsch's colleagueDr. Randall Kirby, Glidewell's procedure was so botched that"Duntsch was forcibly restrained from continuing the surgery by the [operating room] team.". It got to be too much. Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. Lee Passmores friends and family heard him before they saw him. He wasnt paranoid. She was also present for Summers operation. It's thrilling if uncomfortable to listen. Duntsch maintains that the practice didnt meet the promises it agreed to, and that it still owes him money. Lee Passmore cant feel his feet. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. Many ofDuntsch's patient-turned-victims filed malpractice suits, according to Dallas News. She arrived brain-dead. Duntsch had only been in the Dallas area for a few months. He has left a novels worth of defenses on the web, in PDFs, and in comments below news stories. Duntsch was also picked up wandering near a Chase Bank in North Dallas and taken to Green Oaks psychiatric hospital for an evaluation. That July, Duntsch was firing off panicked emails to his business partners at 4 am on a Monday morning: My reputation has been ruined, he wrote. The other, Discgenics, was more successful; it still owns the patent for the technology. But Morguloffs suit describes him being in excruciating pain and telling nurses that his pain was a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. The Texas DA chose six patients to make their case to the jury: Lee Passmore, Barry Morguloff, Jerry Summers, Kellie Martin, Floella Brown, and Mary Efurd. 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. Young said Duntschfollowed her and told her he could explain the bizarre scene. No autopsy was done (at the familys request) but it is well-documented that the stroke was due to a left vertebral artery injury due to Dr. Duntschs horrendous surgical technique, wrote surgeon Randall Kirby in a letter to the Texas Medical Board. By this time, Summers, the childhood friend, had come to live with Duntsch, too. It was a revision of a patient whom he originally operated on at Baylor Plano. But Passmore knows its his battle to fight. Meanwhile, his patients kept suffering, and dying, in his OR. While Ignatova and Kukekov say they were in the labs, Duntsch focused on raising money. Now, one of the several complaints against the . And yet they occurred in Duntschs operating rooms over a period of just two years. Texas tort reform laws cap the amount that patients can sue physicians for malpractice at $250,000. In the two years he practiced as a spine surgeon across four Dallas institutions, Duntsch operated on 37 people. But as the ultimate betrayal, some doctors violate this code of conduct in the worst possible ways. All Duntsch got was a slap on the wrist while his blood-soaked foray into the OR continued. Duntschs reputation took another dive in April of 2015 when he was arrested for shoplifting at a local Walmart. That said; the 12 jurors did what the Texas Medical Board should have done. At the time, Kane was dating Jerry Summer, a childhood friend of Duntsch. He gained experience writing grants, and earned more than $3 million in local, state, and federal funding for research projects where he served as principal or co-principal investigator. He was ultimately convicted of injuring an elderly person in connection with Mary Efurds case and was sentenced to life behind bars. Hoyle became so disturbed by Duntsch's actions that at one point he physically restrained him. I agree completely with Dr. Hoyles complaint to the board when he stated that Dr. Duntsch is the most careless, clueless, and dangerous spine surgeon either of us has ever seen, Kirby wrote. That's when he moved to Colorado to live with his parents. The Dallas County DA, along with fighting against these very laws, was also running out of time. The hospital saved face and avoided any lawsuits. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. But Hoyle says an X-ray later showed it was positioned too far to the left. Duntsch had a comfortable upbringing. At The University of Tennessee, his supervisors were also investors in Duntsch's company, Discgenics. . 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. Henderson actually checked if Duntsch was a real doctor with The University of Tennessee, appalled at the damage to Efurd's spine. His father, Donald, was a missionary and a physical therapist. He was the oldest of fourhe has two brothers, Nathan and Matt, and a sister, Lizand attended a private high school. There was Kellie Martin, who died from massive blood loss after a surgery at Baylor Plano. A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state. Thats according to Dr. Mark Hoyle, who was the general surgeon during Passmores surgery. It was pouring out of the epidural blood vessels and pooling in the disc space. According to ProPublica, Duntsch's residency and fellowship records show less than 100 surgeries. She didnt think much of it at first. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. At this point, Ive had enough and so I called the police.. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Foley said Duntsch was satisfactory in his fellowship, that he saw no evidence of the things he was accused of in Dallas happening in Memphis. The University of Tennessee refused to comment on grounds of confidentiality, but neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Boop, under whom Duntsch completed his residency, knew. Lawsuits can cost hospitals millions of dollars and lost credibility, making it easier just tofire the offending doctor. Also present, according to Kane, was Jerry Summers, the childhood friend who would later wake up a quadriplegic after a Duntsch operation. But its the only way to get anybody to listen. Duntschmade the incision in the wrong place before nicking a vertebral artery, confusing the muscles in Glidewell's neck for a tumor, cutting into his vocal cords, and removing a piece of hisesophagus. When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, that it knew of the risk and ignored it. And, seeing as how the hospital was asking specifically about that training, Foley said he didnt feel comfortable expressing concern about what hed heard was happening in Dallas. Young and Duntsch have two sons. The 78-year-old Denton County man was then Dr. Christopher Duntsch's first patient when the surgeon started performing spinal fusions in 2011. He later told Duntsch to his face that he was dangerous. It said, Anyone close to me thinks that I likely am something between god, einstein, and the antichrist. Though Christopher Duntsch moved to Dallas with girlfriend Wendy Young, he soon hired nurse practioner Kimberly Morgan as his assistant and began a romantic relationship with her.
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