Duntsch focused on his research for a while but was recruited from Memphis to join the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in North Dallas in the summer of 2011. [12], Initially, Duntsch focused heavily on the PhD half of his degree. But he yearned to play linebacker for a Division 1 team and set his sights on the Colorado State Rams. In May 2013, Dr. Randall Kirby was invited to a dinner by University General Hospital to meet their new neurosurgeon, Dr. Duntsch. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. He was wearing the shirt of his black scrubs, and it was covered in blood. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. She bled to death . As Burke says in "Dr. Death," "No matter what happens, no matter what somebody does to you or the people you love, all you're gonna get is $250,000. The charismatic neurosurgeon was actually a successful researcher before he starting killing people in the operating . CHRISTOPHER Duntsch, is infamously known as Dr Death for gross malpractice. D Magazine gave him the nickname in . Duntsch's trial has been called a precedent-setting case, as it's the first time that a physician has been convicted on criminal charges for actions in the course of their medical work and malpractice involving botched surgery. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. Unfortunately, when Morguloff woke up, he began to experience continuous pain, paresthesia, and loss of sensation in his left leg. In July 2015, Duntsch was arrested in Dallas and charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of aggravated assault causing severe bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. Thankfully, this ended up being Dr. Christopher Duntsch's last operation. Efurd eventually gained back some control and mobility, but she now uses a wheelchair and suffers chronic pain. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . On top of this, he misspelled both Kukekov and Ignatova's names. Duntsch stuffed Glidewell's throat with a surgical sponge to attempt to stop the bleeding. Young said that Morgan visited often. He called Duntsch's fellowship supervisor in Memphis and 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. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . A patient who was left barely able to walk and in constant pain after undergoing two botched surgeries at the hands of killer neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch says he 'guarantees' there are other . 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." Muse spiraled into opioid addiction that cost him his wife and his job. July 19, 2021. Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. Passmore had a herniated disc in his lower spine pressing on a nerve causing him pain. Anatomy of a Tragedy. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. In November 2011, he was hooked on the prescription opiates that numbed the pain in his lower back. 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. The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Duntsch, https://www.propublica.org/article/dr-death-christopher-duntsch-a-surgeon-so-bad-it-was-criminal, https://www.dmagazine.com/healthcare-business/2021/10/a-witness-to-dr-death-in-the-presence-of-a-sociopath/, https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2016/november/christopher-duntsch-dr-death/, https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/who-were-the-victims-of-dr-christopher-duntsch, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2014/03/02/planos-baylor-hospital-faces-hard-questions-after-claims-against-former-neurosurgeon/, https://www.texasobserver.org/anatomy-tragedy/, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2015/08/25/7-chilling-thoughts-of-jailed-neurosurgeon-christopher-duntsch/, https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/greg-abbott-enters-fray-in-lawsuits-involving-sociopath-doctor/, https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2017/02/a-jury-now-controls-the-fate-of-neurosurgeon-christopher-duntsch/, https://www.thedailybeast.com/victim-of-real-life-dr-death-believes-there-are-others-like-him-out-there?ref=scroll, https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/what-happened-to-discgenics-co-founded-by-dr-death-christopher-duntsch, https://www.texasobserver.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Morguloff-Complaint.pdf. Kirby, Henderson, and another doctor decided to contact the district attorney, convinced that Duntsch's malpractice was so egregious it was criminal. ", "Assault trial begins for Dallas surgeon who once wrote of becoming 'cold blooded killer', "The State of Texas vs. Christopher Daniel Dunstch", "Life Sentence Upheld on Appeal For Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death", "What you need to know about 'Dr. Death,' Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch", "Texas neurosurgeon nicknamed 'Dr. July 14, 2021. He recommended fusing two of her vertebrae and the insertion of "hardware" in her spinal area. When he woke, he could not move anything on the right side of his body. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. [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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. His name appeared on several papers and patents, and he took part in a number of biotech startups. Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. The Peacock limited series, based on the Wondery podcast, covers the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson ), whose surgical career ruined the lives of numerous people . The Legislature has also made suing hospitals difficult. When he called Duntsch's office, he was told it would "go away." Dr Death, un nuevo programa que llegar a Peacock el jueves (15 de julio), se basa en la historia de la vida real de Christopher Duntsch, un ex neurocirujano que era, como dijo un famoso titular de ProPublica, "tan malo que era criminal".. Joshua Jackson interpreta a Duntsch, que ahora tiene 50 aos y cumple cadena perpetua despus de ser condenado en 2017 por mutilar a uno de sus . Duntsch moved into a five-bedroom house not far from the hospital. Yet, in April 2012, he returned to work just four months after surgery. Through it all, Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence. [26][4], After leaving Dallas Medical Center, Duntsch received privileges at South Hampton Community Hospital in Dallas and also took a job at an outpatient clinic named Legacy Surgery Center (now Frisco Ambulatory Surgery Center) in Frisco. However, he ignored them and proceeded with his scheduled surgery on Efurd. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. After a breath test, Duntsch was arrested for DUI and sent to a detox facility. It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, Alec Baldwin as Robert Henderson, Christian Slater as Randall Kirby and AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart. Their fling was confined to his office at Baylor Plano, and Morgan said in her deposition that he frequently drank vodka and did medical research for hours. He later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . He said, "Randy, you were right. Several of Duntsch's surgeries at Baylor Plano resulted in severely maimed patients: Baylor Plano officials found that Duntsch failed to meet their standards of care and permanently revoked his surgical privileges. Soon after starting Efurd's surgery, Duntsch turned to Kissinger and told him he would be performing a craniotomy on Floella Brown. 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. Passmore focused on recovery and getting back to work in the months following his surgery. On April 9, 2013, Phillip Mayfield was scheduled to have a simple 45-minute operation to alleviate his back pain. In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. Now, his time at the university . Despite all of this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. The surgical disasters of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch led to his jailing in 2017, setting a legal precedent. [29] Texas Attorney General and current Governor Greg Abbott filed a motion to intervene in the suits to defend Baylor Plano, citing the Texas legislature's 2003 statute that placed a medical malpractice cap of $250,000 and removed the term "gross negligence" from the definition of legal malice. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. 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 . Dallas-based surgeon Christopher Duntsch was also the subject of a Wondery podcast titled "Dr. Death." (Dallas County Jail) The indictment accused Duntsch of wide-ranging malpractice, including . The Legislature not only puts the burden of proof on the plaintiff instead of the defendant in medical malpractice cases, but it also allows hospitals to keep information about doctors confidential. However, it wasn't clear how much training Duntsch received.