'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - People Per Bustle, Christopher is currently incarcerated at O.B. 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. Christopher Duntsch, the former neurosurgeon known for saying he wanted to "leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience" and "become a cold-blooded serial killer," is . After getting his undergraduate degree in 1995, Duntsch enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Memphis. 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. Passmore says the space above a disc in his lower spine had been blown out in the first surgery, and Duntsch returned to . "[38], 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. 'Dr. Death' Explores Christopher Duntsch's Many Botched Surgeries Will it help patients protect their rights? You can also watchAmerican Greedon CNBC, and Oxygen's own "License to Kill," which profiled Duntsch's deadly malpractice. 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. 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.. How Did 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch Continue To Operate? | True If you want to unlock all of the content Peacock has to offer, you can upgrade your account to Peacock Premium at $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year. Duntsch arrived in Texas with no shortage of confidence, often boasting to his colleagues that he would be the greatest minimally invasive spinalsurgeon in Dallas. [7] He likened what he found when he opened Efurd up to the results of a child playing with Tinkertoys or an erector set. 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 CNBC's American Greed earlier this year in an episode chronicling Duntschs briefand deadlycareer in Texas. At Baylor Regional Medical Center, during a simple laminectomy, Duntsch slashed one of Martin's major arteries butrefused to admit his mistake. According to ProPublica, Boop was aware of a complaint Duntsch used drugs before seeing patients. Dr. Death: The Shocking Story of Christopher Duntsch, a Madman with a Amphibia Season 2 Now Streaming on Disney+! 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. and a Ph.D. from a top-tier medical school, a decade of experience, and a central role in a pioneering stem-cell treatment. [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. After learning thatDuntsch had continued to botch procedures at other facilities, Kirby packaged up a review of five of his cases and sent a desperate plea to the medical board. And yet the actual tragedy is that someone could have stopped it. If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? Take the case of Dr. Death, aka Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Since no one else knew what was wrong, they couldn't save her. CHRISTOPER Duntsch, also known as Dr. Death, was a doctor who seriously harmed and killed patients during surgeries in hospitals across Texas. 'Dr Death' Stars Share Why They Think Christopher Duntsch - TheWrap In it,was a mirror with cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. 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. Many doctors indeed believe that Duntsch knew what he was doing they said its like he knew what to do and did the exact opposite. On July 24, 2012, Duntsch operated on Floella Brown, 64, a banker about to retire after a long career. Duntsch, on the other hand, recorded fake testimonials to open his own practice and hopped from hospital to hospital to keep trying to practice medicine as a neurosurgeon. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University. Dr. 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. I really wish I knew she said. My take on it is, for him, it was hubris, Jackson mused. Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacocks Dr. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. This was the time when Dr. Christopher Duntsch started to turn intoDr. Death. The patients on Botched get an appearance fee and their costs are handled by the show, he noted. This resulted in catastrophic outcomes for many of his patients, most of whom suffered severe injury or death because of his negligence. This suggests that Summers had come to terms with Duntsch and had moved past any ill feelings he may have held against him. The good-looking but eerie Jamie Dornan. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. Veteran vascular surgeon Randall Kirby recalled that Duntsch frequently boasted about his abilities despite being so new to the area. I think some of them he probably did intentionally.. He promises to take all pain and suffering away. At morning meetings, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange. Death showrunner Patrick McManus told, It was as if he knew everything to do, Henderson, (played by Alec Baldwin in the Peacock series) told. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. "It was as if the person doing the surgery knew what he was doing but did everything wrong," Dr. Twins Ava Marie And Leah Rose In Profile, The Link Between B Complex Vitamins and Anxiety Examined, Khalil Paynes Redemption: Black Lightnings Heartbreaking Finale. What Was 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch's Background? | True Crime Buzz Where Is Christopher Duntsch Now After His Appearance on 'Dr. Phil'? 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. Through his career, reports of him doing rounds under the influence were commonplace. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. Anyone close to me thinks that I likely am something between God, Einstein and the Antichrist, he once wrote in a 2011 email, according to American Greed.Because how can I do anything I want and cross every discipline boundary like its a playground and never lose.. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. In 2017, Duntsch was found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Duntsch never completed (and barely even started) the rigorous ABNS Certification process. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. This May Be the Most Horrifying Surgery Story You've Ever Heard 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. It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, Alec Baldwin as Robert Henderson, Christian Slater as Randall Kirby and AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart. [36] On February 20, 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison. Was he intentionally harming people, or was he just that inadequate of a doctor? Of course, this is a year where were celebrating doctors and nurses and theyre the heroes of our story. William Armstrong is a senior editor with H-O-M-E.org, where he writes on a wide variety of topics. Christopher Duntsch had two children: Preston and Aiden. Like Boop, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review. However, he had such a big ego that he never thought he could fail. Negligence? 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. 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. Why was Dr Duntsch so bad? Death'? And not just Dallas County, I don't recall hearing about it anywhere." [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. The University of Tennessee refused to comment on grounds of confidentiality, but neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Boop, under whom Duntsch completed his residency, knew. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. If you listened to #DrDeath you know his story. Where Is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death Now? He Got A - Bustle However, during his medical career, he had been accused of medical malpractice resulting in the death or injury of several patients, leading to his arrest and conviction on five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. 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. Duntsch was granted temporary surgical privileges at Dallas Medical Center, while hospital officials waited for his medical records to arrive from his former post. Victim of Real-Life 'Dr. Death' Believes There Are Others Like Him Out 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 . Dr. Death, a.k.a. You can get access to the first three episodes of Dr. Death with Peacocks free tier. Dr. Death - Series Premiere Discussion : r/television - Reddit 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. Alligators vs Turtles: Do Turtles Stand a Chance? [3] (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. 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. Mary Efurd was one of these victims; she underwent surgery to treat her back pain in July 2012 but instead suffered an irreparable spinal cord injury that left her permanently paralyzed from the neck down. As Dr. The damage is irreversible. In fact, he went on to work at two more hospitals. Copyright 2023 Distractify. They argued that Duntsch was motivated to continue operating because the lucrative salary of a neurosurgeon would solve his mounting financial problems. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! [9] Texas Medical Board Revocation Order. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. 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. Not only did he harm his patients, but he kept trying to practice. While some called his eventual downfall greed-related, who knows what evil the human mind is capable of. The defamed doctor is the subject of the March 25 episode of Dr. Phil.Viewers will get to hear from one of his surviving victims, and from . In 2014, they performed a complicated spinal fusion surgery on Glidewell, which ultimately ended up being Dr. Duntschs final surgery before he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Texas with an impressive resume. 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 surgery had left him unable to move his arms and legs, making him a quadriplegic. The life in prison sentence was a deathblow to Duntsch, who, according to his father, was now a humbled man who had lost everything. At any given moment in doing the reporting, I had a different answer. Saul Elbein writes in the Texas Observer that Dr. Hendersonsent him a recording of his complaint to the Texas Medical Board. [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. He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. In one, Duntsch tells the story, over stock footage of an operation, of a taxing back surgery he performed on an older woman. Death, Surgery Records. 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. Christopher Duntsch: The Remorseless Killer Surgeon Called 'Dr. Death' [19] Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. [4], After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd. Did these doctors truly not see though Duntsch? 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. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. And how many other doctors who arent as insane as Dr. Duntsch like, there are multiple seasons of Dr. 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. "Dr. Death" Sentenced to Life in Prison. 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. [7], When Duntsch applied for privileges at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, the hospital queried the NPDB. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. To be a good doctor, you have to be a good human being. The hospital also instructed Duntsch to only perform minor procedures, but his next surgery had an even more catastrophic outcome. What turned Dr. Christopher Duntsch into Dr. Death? So the procedure, revisional surgery of the type we do, would vary between $30,000 to probably $90,000 or $100,000, he advised. 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. Slater plays Dr. Randall Kirby while Baldwin is Dr. Robert Henderson. [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. Toby Shook, a Dallas defense attorney, gave a statement toDallas Magazine:"I cannot recall a physician being indicted for aggravated assault for acts committed during surgery. But that isn't the scariest part. Then, we were reminded once again of the deadly doctor's acts in the Peacock miniseries, Dr. Death, starring Joshua Jackson as the title character. [44] The Dallas County district attorney's office called it "a historic case with respect to prosecuting a doctor who had done wrong during surgery. At the time, Kane was dating Jerry Summer, a childhood friend of Duntsch. 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). For the DA though she proved to be a good witness. He is absolutely a narcissistic sociopath. 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. 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. "[4] The Texas Medical Board revoked Duntsch's license on December 6, 2013. The charges brought against Dr. Duntsch stemmed from a series of botched spinal surgeries that he performed between 2012 and 2013. At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, "above [the] national average." He was left unable to move from the neck down after Christopher Duntsch, who was once his closest friend, operated on him. [14] He persuaded Young to come with him; Young agreed, since she had grown up in the Dallas area. B. Ellis Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville. Kane came into the picture as a deposition witness. [33][34] The indictments were made four months before the statute of limitations were to run out. That said; the 12 jurors did what the Texas Medical Board should have done. Death Showrunner Breaks Down Turning Hit Podcast Into New Drama Series On Peacock, AnnaSophia Robb Stars In New Series Dr. According to his lawyers, Duntsch had not realized how poorly he had performed as a surgeon until he heard the prosecution experts tell the jury about his many blunders on the operating table. He has also worked as a radio reporter and holds a degree from Moody College of Communication. Such behavior did not go unnoticed by the other doctors. I think the way that his ego was constructed especially weirdly, and I guess this is just narcissistic personality, the more untrue it gets, the more you hold onto that truth. Ultimately, Christopher Duntschs legacy will be remembered as one of a doctor who made mistakes which caused irreparable damage to his patients lives. Duntsch wrote that he accepted he was a cold-blooded killer. 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 lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in 2013. Duntsch was granted temporary surgical privileges at Dallas Medical Center, while hospital officials waited for his medical records to arrive from his former post. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. When the Texas Medical Board revoked his license, Duntsch's reign of surgical terror had run its course. 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. 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. In reality, he makes everything so, so much worse. Death Series, Dr. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. The company, Discgenics, is still going, and still holds the patents, listingDuntsch, Ignatova, and Kukekov as the inventors. Back in 2018, the Dr. Death podcast took the world by storm when we learned about the killer doctor, Christopher Duntsch. At Baylor Regional Medical Center,after botched surgeries and complaints from fellow doctors, Duntsch resigned. [15], Duntsch joined Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano (now Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Plano) as a minimally invasive spine surgeon with a salary of $600,000 per year, plus bonuses. There are some who believe that he never wanted to be in the ORat all. Anatomy of a Tragedy - The Texas Observer When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. And yet, the names of the latter are incorrect and misspelled. The evidence collected by the DA's office by subpoenaing every hospital on his CVshows Duntsch completes a fraction of these. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. [9] Duntsch completed his undergraduate degree in 1995, then continued on to an ambitious MDPhD program. What is the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath? He was running research labs and had ambitions of becoming a successful surgeon, but thigs soon took a turn for the worse. Joshua Jackson On Role Of Surgeon, Christopher Duntsch, In Peacocks Dr. Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains From celebrity gossip to healthy living tips and from new technologies to educational resources - we have it all! [38], Duntsch is housed at the O. 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. Death'? [42] The four hospitals that employed Duntsch have ongoing civil cases against him.
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did dr duntsch have any successful surgeries