Yet, instead of saving lives and using his knowledge for good, the opposite happened. The Untold Truth Of Dr. Death - Grunge I received word today that Jerry Summers has passed away. Or was Duntsch just good at hiding his true self? While some called his eventual downfall greed-related, who knows what evil the human mind is capable of. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. Former teammates later said that, while Duntsch trained hard, he lacked talent at the game. Another was rendered a quadriplegic and died a decade later from a related infection. Saul Elbein writes in the Texas Observer that Dr. Hendersonsent him a recording of his complaint to the Texas Medical Board. 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. CHRISTOPER Duntsch, also known as Dr. Death, was a doctor who seriously harmed and killed patients during surgeries in hospitals across Texas. At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, "above [the] national average." [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. Death, Surgery Records, Conjoined Twins Abby and Brittany Hensel Decide on Procreation, Danny DeVito Short Statures Is Not A Hindrance to Success, Mayim Bialik Talks About Prader-Willi Syndrome. The Incredible Genetic Trait Childbearing Hips. 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. Yes, the two plastic surgeons have collaborated on many medical projects, but its their longtime friendship that has solidified their bond. Dr. Death, a.k.a. A Surgeon So Bad It Was Criminal ProPublica The monster in the white coat is all too real. What isscarierare the 12 names that follow his. [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. ), As Dr. If that weren't enough, Page once happened across a drawer at Duntsch's house. While the school refused to verify or deny his claims, he wasn't in any of the yearbooks of that time. However, the proportion of successful operations compared to those which resulted in injury or death remains unclear. [38] Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. And the biggest question on everyones mind is why Dr. Death did it. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. Alligators vs Turtles: Do Turtles Stand a Chance? To say that this e-mail proved that Duntsch was notfit to be a doctor would be completely correct. Joshua Jackson On Role Of Surgeon, Christopher Duntsch, In Peacocks Dr. He showed a complete lack of knowledge regarding anatomy and medical procedures, making numerous mistakes along the way that should have been avoided. For the DA though she proved to be a good witness. [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. The company, Discgenics, is still going, and still holds the patents, listingDuntsch, Ignatova, and Kukekov as the inventors. To fellow surgeon Mark Hoyle, he said, "Everybody's doing it wrong. The life in prison sentence was a deathblow to Duntsch, who, according to his father, was now a humbled man who had lost everything. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Let's delve into what made him tick, and how the medical community failed the victims of Dr. Christopher Daniel Duntsch. He later recalled that he read about Martin's death on the day before the surgery, but Duntsch cursed him out when he called to ask about it. [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. [3] It is an unfortunate reminder that even highly educated medical professionals are prone to human error when it comes to practicing medicine. Despite the fact that many of his surgeries went wrong, it is important to note that some reports have suggested that Duntsch did have some successful surgeries during his time as a doctor. In reality, he makes everything so, so much worse. 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. According to Rosenblum, Jerry Summers had forgiven Chris Duntsch several years prior to his death. After getting his undergraduate degree in 1995, Duntsch enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Memphis. But hospital after hospital passed the buck. Whatever Duntsch set out to be when he first donned that white coat, being a media sensation for all the wrong reasons may not have been his goal. He attempted to fuse together vertebrae in his neck, but the surgery went drastically wrong and left Summers a quadriplegic. 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. But Robb thinks this unknown factor is what makes this story so interesting to Dr. On July 24, 2012, Duntsch operated on Floella Brown, 64, a banker about to retire after a long career. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Meanwhile, his patients kept suffering, and dying, in his OR. Yet, instead of saving lives and using his knowledge for good, the opposite happened. Beil's somber reporting on the Wondery podcast titled Dr. Death will send chills down your spine. Unlike a TV series where you get to see the character,a podcast is darker. Duntsch will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74. Duntsch ended up slicing her vertebral artery, stopping blood and oxygen flow to her brain. Death, Surgery Records. Her response echoed what she shared on the podcast. He graduated from one of the top-tier medical schools and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. He was subsequently convicted of all charges in February 2017 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Duntsch could have turned it into something good and meaningful. And this was 10 months before Duntsch's last surgery. Like Boop, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review. Death'? 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. In 2012, Summers underwent spinal surgery performed by Dr. Duntsch in an effort to improve his neck and arm pain. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. Henderson actually checked if Duntsch was a real doctor with The University of Tennessee, appalled at the damage to Efurd's spine. His childhood was seemingly great. 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. No, Jerry Summers, who was Christophers childhood friend, is no longer alive. With such goings-on, Duntsch got himself kicked out of his own company. Distractify is a registered trademark. ", "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. [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. You can also watch all eight episodes of Dr. Death without ads through its third tier Premium Plus plan, which costs $9.99/month. How Did 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch Continue To Operate? | True "You don't know this yet, but you will never walk again. I dont think that he was damaging these people with intent. The COO had accused Duntsch of violating his fiduciary duty to the company and of misappropriating funds. Soon though, red flags began to pop up. And not just any doctor a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. [42] The four hospitals that employed Duntsch have ongoing civil cases against him. [13] In 2010, Duntsch moved to Dallas. In the case of Dr. Out July 15, Dr. Death introduces viewers to Christopher Duntsch, a real-life Texas-based surgeon who in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison after maiming and even killing almost all of the nearly 40 patients he operated on between 2011 and 2013. Why was Dr Duntsch so bad? He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 11:28. Was he was only in it for the research prestige and the money? It was the same with Dallas Medical Center where hedid not face any action. Neurosurgeon residents need to complete 1,000 surgeries as training requirements. Death Based On A True Story, 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, (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the new docuseries, on Peacock, which features interviews with numerous people intimately involved in the case. Feb. 7, 2017. During his residency program for neurosurgery, he completed fewer than 100 surgeries despite the expected 1,000 operations for a typical resident. From the top of his class to life in prison: things did not go as he planned. It would take years for a few dedicated whistle blowers to finally expose him. 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. Duntsch initially attended Millsaps College to play Division III college football, and later transferred to Division I Colorado State University.