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. His next patient, Floella Brown was 63. The surgery, he said, beaming into the camera, was a resounding . If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? While psychopaths are classified as people with little or no conscience, sociopaths do have a limited, albeit weak, ability to feel empathy and remorse. Duntsch did his surgical residency at The University of Tennessee. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. 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.. Peacock has released 'Dr. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. [10][7], Duntsch completed his residency having participated in fewer than 100 surgeries. Once back in the operating room, his work resulted in the same deadly consequences, according to Texas Medical Board records. We are here to help you make your home a better place by providing you with the latest information and trends from around the world. It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate and finally revoke Duntsch's license. Passmore says the space above a disc in his lower spine had been blown out in the first surgery, and Duntsch returned to . If that weren't enough, Page once happened across a drawer at Duntsch's house. The Texas Medical Board launched an investigation and found that Duntsch was performing unnecessary and risky procedures on his patients without informing them of the potential risks and complications. [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. Death showrunner Patrick McManus told, It was as if he knew everything to do, Henderson, (played by Alec Baldwin in the Peacock series) told. Only time will tell story about Christopher Duntsch finally broke, discovered stem cells in human brain tumors, Duntsch, Ignatova, and Kukekov as the inventors, Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange, At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review, Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of the doctors he spoke to likened Duntsch to Hannibal Lecter, the school refused to verify or deny his claims, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors, According to the prosecutors, TMB had many complaints on file, irreparably damaged by Dr. Death's grievous malpractices, It took the Texas Medical Board one whole year to investigate, Henderson actually checked if Duntsch was a real doctor with The University of Tennessee, Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, the same law also helps these very hospitals, For the DA though she proved to be a good witness, A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed, Becker's Hospital Review covered the 13 worst physicians of 2017, as named by Medscape, Dr. Death is now also going to be a TV show, Will it help patients protect their rights. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. At any given moment in doing the reporting, I had a different answer. Martin paid with her lifebecause her doctor was too proud to say he screwed up. The damage is irreversible. But the same law also helps these very hospitals in keeping doctor credentials confidential. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. Whats The Difference Between Dutch And French Braids? After a lengthy investigation by the Texas Medical Board and the Dallas County District Attorneys Office, Dr. Duntsch was arrested on August 19th, 2015 and charged with five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. 38. After seeing the damage that Duntsch had done to Glidewell, Randall Kirby and Dr. Robert Henderson were called in to repair the damage. 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. [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. Christopher Duntsch - AKA Dr. Death - spent 18 months as a practicing surgeon at multiple Texas hospitals until he had his license revoked in 2013. Most doctors would pull themselves out of the field after a few botched surgeries because of the guilt they have to carry after permanently hurting someone. 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. His investors took him to court. [4], After 13 days of trial, the jury needed only four hours to convict him for the maiming of Efurd. To say that this e-mail proved that Duntsch was notfit to be a doctor would be completely correct. Another was rendered a quadriplegic and died a decade later from a related infection. 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. While some called his eventual downfall greed-related, who knows what evil the human mind is capable of. Yes, Christopher Duntsch had a medical degree. And Patrick [Macmanus, the Dr. [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 promises to take all pain and suffering away. Hubris? Is it Safe To Jump On A Trampoline While Pregnant? 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. What turned Dr. Christopher Duntsch into Dr. Death? In 2012, Summers underwent spinal surgery performed by Dr. Duntsch in an effort to improve his neck and arm pain. But was he just an inadequate addict? 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. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. However, he had such a big ego that he never thought he could fail. 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. And this was 10 months before Duntsch's last surgery. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. They have two sons. He showed a complete lack of knowledge regarding anatomy and medical procedures, making numerous mistakes along the way that should have been avoided. [42] The four hospitals that employed Duntsch have ongoing civil cases against him. "[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. [4], Early in his tenure at Baylor Plano, Duntsch made a poor impression on his fellow surgeons. 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. This very friend would later end up a quadriplegic under Duntsch's weapon of a scalpel. Across two years, Duntsch injured 32 of his 38 patients, maiming many and leaving them with life-changing injuries. He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. 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. Such behavior did not go unnoticed by the other doctors. There is a complexity tohim at times and a kind of tragedy. Seven more doctors voiced complaints before TMB finally canceled Dr. Death's license. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. Duntsch ended up slicing her vertebral artery, stopping blood and oxygen flow to her brain. The information it tracks, includingmalpractice payouts and suspensions, is available only to hospital administrators, not doctors or patients. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. [23][19][24], While operating on Efurd, Duntsch severed one of her nerve roots during spinal fusion surgery while operating on the wrong portion of her back, twisted a screw into another nerve, left screw holes on the opposite side of her spine, failed to remove the disc he was supposed to remove, and left surgical hardware in her muscle tissue so loose that it moved when touched. "Dr. Death" is about Christopher Duntsch, an accredited but incompetent Dallas neurosurgeon, whose wrongdoing was close to butchery. What is the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath? But what do the actors who inhabited these roles think of the real Duntsch, who was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before his license was revoked by theTexas Medical Board,and his intentions? ", "Surgeon who wrote of becoming killer is denied bail reduction", "Elderly couple attends court hoping for justice in Duntsch case", "Who Were The Victims Of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, Who Earned The Ominous Nickname 'Dr. Dr. Duntschs last patient was Jeff Glidewell, a patient at Baylor-Plano who had been treated by Duntsch in 2013. 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. Dubbed angels of death, they leave a trail of damage andloss for many reasons: human fallibility, malaise, or malice. This resulted in catastrophic outcomes for many of his patients, most of whom suffered severe injury or death because of his negligence. After this late-night party,Duntsch went to work the next morning. 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. The eight-episode series is anticipated to be a thrilling watch. Several people who were in the operating room for Efurd's surgery suspected that Duntsch might have been intoxicated, recalling that his pupils were dilated. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. At Baylor Regional Medical Center,after botched surgeries and complaints from fellow doctors, Duntsch resigned. These operations were not all successful; the exact number of successful surgeries performed by Duntsch is unknown. 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. He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 11:28. This all happened despite numerous complaints from surgeons and patients, as well as allegations of drug and alcohol abuse. [19] Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. Death are streaming now. Kane came into the picture as a deposition witness. 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. IMDb The difference between Season 6 and the other seasons is it took me more than one surgery on several of the patients to get them fixed. Prosecutors put a high priority on that charge, as it provided the widest sentencing range, with Duntsch facing up to life in prison if convicted. According to Dallas Magazine, Dr. Christopher Duntsch talked a big game. All Rights Reserved. He will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74-years-old. In it,was a mirror with cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill on top. And when this podcast tells you all the gory details, you become that patient. [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]. [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. However, by the time he met Young, Duntsch was over $500,000 in debt. No such thing. The seeds of greed were sown. 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. He harmed the very people who trusted him. ", "Greg Abbott Enters Fray in Lawsuits Involving "Sociopath" Doctor", "Abbott sides with Baylor hospital in neurosurgeon lawsuit", "Who Are Robert Henderson And Randall Kirby, The Surgeons Who Tried To Stop 'Dr. Was Dr Christopher Duntsch board certified? My take on it is, for him, it was hubris, Jackson told TheWrap. Death'? [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. Now, we're learning more about the true story of this horrific tale with Peacock's Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story. Gena Lee Nolin: From Baywatchs Neely to Sheenas Queen! This could be path-breaking in the future ofcancer treatment andDr. Duntsch sniffed out the opportunity right away. She had come to Duntsch for cervical spine surgery to ease her worsening neck and shoulder . By this time his wife and he had separated and he also filed for bankruptcy. 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. [3], Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board. For the DA though she proved to be a good witness. Only three of Duntsch's surgeries were performed with no complications. This way, no one recognizes them as the inventors. 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. Dr. Duntschs scrubs had a hole in them because he chose not to wear underwear while performing medical procedures. He remained there for several months before being allowed to return to the residency. The University of Tennessee refused to comment on grounds of confidentiality, but neurosurgeon Dr. Frederick Boop, under whom Duntsch completed his residency, knew. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The 31 people who survived Dr. Duntsch's scalpel face a struggle for the rest of their lives. According to the Texas Observer, one of Duntsch's first botched surgeries took place in January 2012 and led to bone fragments from the patient's vertebrae getting lodged in the nerves of his back. He performed operations on 38 patients in total, leaving 35 of them with severe injuries or complications. But hospital after hospital passed the buck. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. So I feel like it was like a mixture of drugs, I think hubris, I think narcissism I dont think he was a good doctor. [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. 33 of his surgeries went horribly wrong. 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 . Duntsch was told to take a drug test but disappeared instead. They listened, judged and found Duntsch guilty, and sentenced him to life in prison, reports USA Today. This lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in 2013. Out of those surgeries, two patients were killed. Amphibia Season 2 Now Streaming on Disney+! Prior to his criminal charges, he was running research labs and was considered to be an up-and-coming neurosurgeon. [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. American surgeon, convicted of criminal malpractice, 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. Death, was a neurosurgeon whose career started off with promise but quickly went downhill due to his involvement in numerous botched surgeries leaving several of his patients permanently injured or dead. [9][16], As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email in which Duntsch boasted that he was " ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold-blooded killer. Not long after he arrived at the job, Duntsch operated on his childhood best friend Jerry Summers. It's thrilling if uncomfortable to listen. Due to his actions, Brown suffered a stroke that night, but Duntsch didn't responded to hospital pages. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. He is absolutely a narcissistic sociopath. Malicious intent? "[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. Jerry Summers, Duntsch's childhood friend, is now a quadriplegic. Ultimately, Christopher Duntschs legacy will be remembered as one of a doctor who made mistakes which caused irreparable damage to his patients lives. Hospitals are liable only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital was also malicious, that it knew of the risk and ignored it. No, Dr. Duntsch did not know what he was doing. [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. During his residency program for neurosurgery, he completed fewer than 100 surgeries despite the expected 1,000 operations for a typical resident. He also reported shooting pains throughout his body. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. And there were plenty of other signs as well. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Death: The Undoctored Story launches July 29. In fact, he went on to work at two more hospitals. We tried everything we could but, you know, it took a long time to get the boat moving in the right direction and unfortunately there were some patients that were injured as a part of it, Kirby told American Greed.. The civil attorneys in these cases were able to land a rather damning e-mail sent from Duntsch to his girlfriend/physical assistant.The girlfriend was Kimberly Morgan, and in the e-mail to her, the ramblings of a mind gone wrong are clear. Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a formr nurse practitioner in Dallas, Texas, was found guilty of maiming his elderly patient Mary Efurd and was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017. You'd think that a surgeon who was this bad would have some mud spattered on him on the internet. It was the same with Dallas Medical Center where hedid not face any action. This despite the drug problems as well as incomplete residency training. In many cases, it seemed as though he knew the correct procedures but went out of his way to do the wrong thing instead. When Henderson saw the imaging from Duntsch's surgery, he was certain that there would be legal action, and had the salvage surgery recorded. You can also watchAmerican Greedon CNBC, and Oxygen's own "License to Kill," which profiled Duntsch's deadly malpractice. She, after being in Duntsch's OR, would never walk again. 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.". It would take years for a few dedicated whistle blowers to finally expose him. The hospital saved face and avoided any lawsuits. All Duntsch got was a slap on the wrist while his blood-soaked foray into the OR continued. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacock's "Dr. Death" limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and. During his second surgery at the new hospital, Duntsch lacerated a blood vessel supplying blood to his patient Floella Browns brain and she died after Duntschs efforts to repair the laceration failed. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. And the biggest question on everyones mind is why Dr. Death did it. He is a graduate of Evangelical Christian School in the Cordova suburb of Memphis, where he starred in football.[7]. 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. "You don't know this yet, but you will never walk again. The Wondery podcast Dr. Death broke down Duntsch's career and his various crimes. He played football in high school, but teammates say he was so bad that, no matter how much he practiced, he could never make it. [3] Since no one else knew what was wrong, they couldn't save her. As the eldest of four, his parents remember him as a precocious boy. 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. 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. At the time, Kane was dating Jerry Summer, a childhood friend of Duntsch. [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. Was he intentionally harming people, or was he just that inadequate of a doctor? Jodi Smith. At The University of Tennessee, his supervisors were also investors in Duntsch's company, Discgenics. [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. Meanwhile, Brown went brain dead and passed away. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacocks Dr. And she saw how he was manipulative and sort of narcissistic. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. His negligence resulted in many serious and life-altering injuries to his patients, including one of his best friends Jerry Summers who was left quadriplegic after surgery. The Dallas County DA, along with fighting against these very laws, was also running out of time. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. These medical professionals do irreparable harm to their patients. Christopher Duntsch was allowed to perform more than 30 botched surgeries in DFW over the course of two years before finally having his license revoked. Duntsch graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed a residency program in neurosurgery. What made him cause damage, trauma and even death to his patients? Between 2010, when he began his surgery practice, and 2013, Duntsch, then in his early forties, performed many operations that resulted in severe injury or death. [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. He attempted to fuse together vertebrae in his neck, but the surgery went drastically wrong and left Summers a quadriplegic. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. [4] [19], Despite both of his surgeries at Dallas Medical Center going catastrophically awry, hospital officials did not report him to the NPDB. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary, and his mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. 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.
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