Wendy Renee Young was romantically involved with Texas physician Christopher Duntsch, who became known as "Dr . 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. "Christopher Duntsch, Texas Medical Board license number N8183, is an impaired physician, a sociopath, and must be stopped from practicing medicine." Robin Glidewell also sent a letter . Then check out the horrifying story of Simon Bramhall, a surgeon who admitted to burning his initials into patients livers. Updated Dec 9, 2022 at 3:25pm. During surgery, Duntsch operated on the wrong part of Fennell's back. The hospital initiated another peer review, but Duntsch resigned rather than face certain termination. Film & TV 'Dr. Death' Condemns Christopher Duntsch, but the Real Culprit Is Texas's Broken Health-Care System I helped break the story on the convicted surgeon, but Peacock's dramatized . When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. He wanted to become a doctor, and not just any doctor - a neurosurgeon, operating on injured backs and necks. My experience with this doctor has been great. [19] Prosecutors sought a sentence long enough to ensure that Duntsch would never be able to practice medicine again. Who Is Christopher Duntsch, The Man Nicknamed 'Dr. Death' Who Injured Summers remained quadriplegic for the rest of his life. When Kirby learned the details, he immediately asked the doctor who referred the case to him about the surgeon: "Is it a guy named Christopher Duntsch?" Duntsch recommended fusing Morguloff's L5-S1 vertebrae, and the surgery was scheduled for January 11, 2012. [4][5] In 2017, he was convicted of maiming one of his patients and sentenced to life imprisonment. "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop him.". In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, Dr. Randall Kirbysays of Christopher Duntsch in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". While there, he damaged patient Jeff Cheney's spinal cord, leaving him without feeling on the right side of his body. [19][25][7] She later recalled waking up feeling "excruciating pain", a "ten-plus" on a scale of 1 to 10. When Martin awoke from anesthesia, she was screaming and clawing at her legs which had become patchy and full of purple streaks and spots. August 28, 2013, 2:01 . Though he appealed his conviction in 2018, it was denied. Kim Morgan Now: Where is Nurse and Christopher Duntsch's Ex-Assisstant Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. 'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - Peoplemag Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. The Texas Medical Board would later conclude that Brown died of excessive blood loss and a stroke, according to The Texas Observer . On November 7, 2011, Dr. Duntsch was scheduled to perform his first surgery at Baylor Plano on Kenneth Fennell for his back pain. The surgical disasters of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch led to his jailing in 2017, setting a legal precedent. 11:15 PM on Mar 1, 2014 CST. Pic credit: Dallas County Sheriff's Office. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. [7], While in Memphis, Duntsch began a long-term relationship with Wendy Renee Young. 1-Christopher Duntsch and then girlfriend, Wendy Young. But when he awoke and was experiencing extreme pain, Dr. Duntsch said that surgery had been a success and there had been no complications. The nursing staff put down towels to soak it up. [9][24][19][7] After several days, Kirby was brought in to repair the damage and later described what he found after opening Glidewell back up as the work of a "crazed maniac". He thought it was odd that Duntsch wasn't working at Baylor Plano anymore, so he called his insurance company, who stated Christopher Duntsch was in good standing. He said even a person with the most basic sense of human anatomy would know they were operating in the wrong area. That's why it really shined down to me," Kissinger said in an interview. He felt that anyone with a basic knowledge of human anatomy would know that he was operating in the wrong area of Efurd's back. Watch the trailer for Dr . [16][24] Henderson described Duntsch's surgery as an "assault", and concluded that Efurd would have been bedridden had the salvage surgery not been performed. "[32][9] ADA Michelle Shughart, who led the prosecution of Duntsch, later recalled that Henderson, Kirby, and Lazar contacted her demanding to testify against Duntsch; according to Shughart, doctors almost never testify against each other. Every victim deserves to have their story told, and unfortunately, Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, has 33. [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. Jeff Glidewell came across Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2013 while searching for a neurosurgeon . No diagnostic imaging studies were ordered, and no reasonable explanation was offered for his condition. Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move and theoretically get a medical license in another state. Duntsch lasted about three months at MISI. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. Over the span of a few years, he managed to maim and injure over 30 patients, with two more dying during and shortly after undergoing surgery with him. Due to the debilitating pain, Fennell later had a second operation by Duntsch to relieve it, and was left significantly paralyzed in his legs. He refused to abort the surgery even after a trauma surgeon colleague and an anesthesiologist warned him about the blood loss. However, the surgery had to be moved to November 14 because Duntsch had failed to order the appropriate surgical hardware and equipment. When Henderson opened the freshly made incisions on her, he was appalled. Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? - The US Sun In 2017, Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of maiming one of his patients. [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. He is currently appealing this sentence. Even if a plaintiff wins the maximum award, after you pay your lawyer and your experts and go through, potentially, years of trial, not much is left. The bad doctor: A health care worker doing harm - Plano Magazine The deal required Duntsch to attain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. The sponge triggered a severe blood-borne infection that caused Glidewell to become septic. The appalling actions of the rogue surgeon and their repercussions on his unsuspecting patients were . Facebook Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch. The series follows two other surgeons, along with . Duntsch had also installed hardware into her muscle, not her bone, so loose that it moved when you touched it. [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. Duntsch moved to Denver, Colorado, and went into a downward spiral. Part of the problem was being able to prove that Duntsch's actions were willful as defined by Texas law. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. [8] Duntsch returned home to attend Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). An MRI revealed that multiple bone fragments in his spinal canal were compressing and adhering to his S1 nerve and that Duntsch had installed the hardware incorrectly. A Surgeon So Bad It Was Criminal ProPublica During his short tenure, he spent little time in the operating room. [48], In 2019, Duntsch was the focus of the premiere episode of License to Kill, Oxygen's series on criminal medical professionals. 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 . They met with an assistant DA but got little traction. 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. The hospital called Rimlawi when it couldn't reach his colleague. Joshua Jackson Is Game, but 'Dr. Death' Lacks Insight: TV - Variety Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Dr. Death: La verdadera historia detrs de la nueva serie sobre el ex Donald Duntsch was a gridiron football standout in Montana, and Christopher was determined to follow in those footsteps. She was transferred to a Dallas hospital after suffering from a severe infection, and Randal Kirby was asked to operate on her. "After building a flourishing neurosurgery practice, everything suddenly changes when patients entering Dr. Duntsch's operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries start leaving permanently disabled or dead.