He was arrested on five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person, concerning the 2012 operation on Mary Efurd. To get a pair of high-waisted jeans that are as comfortable as they are fashionable, find a pair with added elastane, Lycra or spandex. Sitting at a table, he studied an Excel spreadsheet containing the findings of a three-month long KXAN investigation which discovered some doctors are coming to Texas to escape problems in other states. The surgery, to alleviate chronic back pain, was supposed to be a L5-S1 discectomy. At the heart of the fertile land of Limagne and the pastures of the Massif Central, the Clermont-Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes Centre is one of the institute's historic sites, with cutting-edge research in key sectors of agriculture, environment and food: preventive human nutrition, cereals, product quality, territories, livestock farming, robotics applied to agriculture, tree functioning, etc. Whats the origin of Keep Austin Weird? Dr. Death is the new true-crime . The patient was put on life support but died, according to the Virginia Medical Board. "In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community," he says in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story." Kirby would soon be joined on his mission to keep Duntsch from harming anyone else by Dr. Robert Henderson, a widely respected orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine health. I told them that he was bad news.. AncientFaces is a 100% free and family-friendly community to share memories and connect with others to discover more about Uncovering Our Shared Memories: An Introduction to the Community Standards at AncientFaces Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Few states provide information on malpractice payouts, hospital adverse actions, criminal convictions and information from other states that patients would likely want to see to make informed healthcare decisions. DR Death, Peacocks new limited series starring Joshua Jackson, is based on a true story, and we have your look at photos comparing the cast with their real-life counterparts. Vascular surgeon Randall Kirby first met Christopher Duntsch in the doctor's lounge at theBaylor-Plano Medical Center. In the docuseries, Kirby notes that Glidewell would be the last person Duntsch operated on, but he was one of more than 30 that the surgeon left either maimed, in chronic pain or, in two cases, dead, in a two-year span. Critics also state that it is the best offering to date from Peacock, making Dr. Death a significant win for the fledgling streaming service. Henderson was called in to do a salvage surgery on 71-year-old Mary Efurd, who was suffering from extreme pain following the operation shed had the day before. He was a megalomaniac, says Henderson. Some physicians were disciplined following criminal charges including driving drunk, domestic violence, possession of a controlled substance and operating a firearm while intoxicated, KXAN found. The TMB says its honor-system approach is historically how the board has operated, adding it has always relied on physicians to self-report. A B.A. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? While Duntsch was fired this time, he managed to operate again and wreak more medical havoc until his license was finally suspended in summer 2013 and revoked for good in December of that year. The board announced these changes after KXAN started asking questions. I cant conceive of a way that he wasnt aware that he was hurting patients, says Henderson, who eventually took his concerns to the state medical board. The USA App is the best place to catch up on the most recent season of your favorite shows, watch live TV, and stream movies. A charismatic, charming monster but still a monster but he saw himself as the hero of his own story. Death saga.. Photo: Christopher Daniel Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon nicknamedDr. Death for themurder of two of his patients and the maiming of 30 others while working at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It was Efurd's surgery that spurred Dr. Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin in the Peacock series) to attempt to take action against Duntsch. But during his residence at the University of Tennessee, cracks would show. Christopher Duntsch was disorganized and undeliberate. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. when he died at the age of 46. The results of Efurd's surgery were in fact so horrific that Henderson began to suspect Duntsch was an imposter. The TMB checks the NPDB when it is screening new applicants or when it is conducting an investigation on a physician. Erwin Center demolition to be completed in 2024, Amazon funding computer science education for students, Effects of maternal mortality on the family, Rethinking cultural competency in hospitals, APD: Car found in Lady Bird Lake overnight, Week starts with sunshine, ends with storms, Austin neighborhood has 3 house fires in nine months, Pitching, defense lead UT to series win over TCU, Anthropos Arts celebrates 25 years of free lessons, National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day: Where you can adopt, Austin snaps long goalless streak in 2-2 draw, Coburn, Ojomo, Johnson picked on last day of NFL, Austin officials sued over Statesman funding plan. An exclusive clip is above. 1 in heat-related pet deaths, New parking meters, price increase at Zilker Park, Air quality awareness: Austins problem pollutants. In July 2012, Duntsch performed surgery on Mary Efurd, a woman in her seventies who lost mobility and was left needing a wheelchair after the procedure. Kirby at crossed paths with Duntsch at Baylor-Plano and in 2013 was. If youve ever had a conviction, you cant get a license,' Carlton said. A British native, Charles also is an avid football fan, podcast co-creator, and Brand Strategy & Content Manager for Text Inspector who loves delivering new content en-masse across various forms of media. Virtuallyeverything was either not done, or done in the wrong place. 1 birth record, View Thats why I went into medicine, was to help people. But unfortunately, sometimes doctors can be evil and twisted. I don't know. Most state medical boards across the country, including Texas, provide incomplete information about a physicians practicing history, according to a report released last month by the Patient Safety Action Network, a national advocacy group. When you share a memory, or just show that you care by interacting with the biography, A Florida doctor was reprimanded in 2019 for prescribing excessive quantities of Oxycodone and other opioids without adequately assessing a patients complaints, symptoms and medical history. Death, the case gained national attention, revealing how easy it can be for dangerous doctors to transfer between hospitals. Christian Slater, who plays Kirby, told Newsweek: "After speaking with the real Dr. Kirby, his opinion is that this guy is a psychopath and really should not have been ever near an operating theatre, so that gave him the foundation to really stand up and do the right thing and do everything he could to stop this maniac.". we begin to show & tell who our loved ones were during particular moments in their lives. However, his admission that they took cocaine the night before his surgery was a key factor in stripping Duntsch of his medical license. In 2017, he was convicted of maiming Efurd and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains today. in the family tree section to add relatives, or press the "X" "I felt he was a serial killer and serial maimer. ADVERTISEMENT Its a national problem.. During the defense's cross-examination of E. Jean Carroll, Trump's attorney asked the writer why she "did not scream" when she was "supposedly raped. "He never even operated on the disc itself, which he was supposed to remove in its entirety. Andr Ren Roussimoff of Paris, Paris County, le-de-France France was born on May 19, 1946 in Grenoble, Isere County, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, and died at age 46 years old on January 27, 1993 in Paris, Paris County, le-de-France. "Hekept operating after every catastrophic complication. It was Efurd's surgery that spurred Dr. Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin in the Peacock series) to attempt to take action against Duntsch. When Henderson looked at Efurd's post-operative X-rays and later opened her up for surgery, he was astonished by what he found: misplaced screws, a severed nerve root, and several holes drilled into her spine. Robot, True Romance, Very Bad Things, and Robot Chicken. Prosecutors began looking into the allegations against Duntsch, and in July 2015 charged him with five counts of aggravated assault and one count of injury to an elderly person related to Efurds surgery. Jackson said Duntsch "didn't know he was twisted and that is actually the essence of what is so interesting about playing him. Two of his patients died; at least two others now need wheelchairs after losing mobility. It isnt just a state problem, said Henderson, a highly-respected spinal surgeon in the industry who reported Duntsch to the Texas Medical Board and was instrumental in stopping him. License to Kill debuts on Oxygen on Sunday (7 p.m. ET/PT). BY ANCESTRY.COM, Ellerbe, Richmond County, North Carolina 28338, United States. Barbara Nitke/Peacock, Even though Duntsch's poor surgical record was well known in the medical community,Kirby and Henderson found themselves. Even though Duntsch's poor surgical record was well known in the medical community,Kirby and Henderson found themselves hamstrung by a complicated process to revoke a physician's medical license. I just did what I thought was right," Henderson said later. While Carlton said he cannot comment on the specific cases we identified, he said it is up to the board to determine if a physician is safe to practice on a case-by-case basis. The two-year license registration timeframe for reporting is in state law, a TMB spokesperson said. "He had a great deal of promise and the tragic side of it, in my opinion, is that if he had never gone the surgery route, I fundamentally believe we would be talking about Christopher Duntsch in a different way.". Select "Add Memory" to share stories and photos. It lies in a natural park and collecting is no longer allowed. Yeah. We want to believe we're in safe hands when we're with a doctor. A former colleague found a horror show when he performed follow-up surgery on one of Duntschs patients: Screws meant for her spine driven instead into muscle tissue, three holes in bone where Duntsch had repeatedly tried to set a screw, and a completely missing nerve root that Duntsch apparently amputated, leaving the woman unable to move her leg., Born in Montana and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Duntsch initially pursued an athletic career in US football doggedly so, according to former classmates. By the end of his residency, he had finished less than 100 operations; the average neurosurgeon is expected to perform around 1,000 by the end, according to the outlet. Im surprised you found so many so fast, said Henderson, who added he is shocked but not surprised by the findings. All eight episodes are streaming on Peacock now. Kirby first became aware of Dr. Duntsch brutalizing his patients after assisting on surgery in which Duntsch misused medical tools to the point of endangering the patient's life. A Colorado neurosurgeon was disciplined for performing surgery on the wrong spinal disc. A New Mexico doctor surrendered his license in 2019 while under investigation for drinking alcohol during a telemedicine group session for individuals in recovery. She failed when her gun wouldn't fire. (Courtesy Peacock) Duntsch, who declined KXAN's multiple requests for an interview, was. The TMB will continue to refine processes to meet reporting obligations and promote transparency. In my opinion, we had a serial killer in our medical community, he says in "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story.". In Texas, doctors are required to report felony convictions within 30 days. Watch clips from the "Dr. Death" show above, starring Alec Baldwin as Dr. Robert Henderson. Played by Dominic Burgess in the Peacock series, Summersallowed Duntsch to perform two cervical fusion surgeries on him, which left Summers paralyzed. on Peacock, which features interviews with numerous people intimately involved in the case. KXAN spent three months pulling thousands of physician disciplinary records from medical boards across the country dating back to 2017. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. While Duntsch was fired this time, he managed to operate again and wreak more medical havoc until his license was finally suspended in summer 2013 and revoked for good in December of that year. The legacy of grievously injured patients left by Dr. Christopher Duntsch is explored in a new Oxygen series, License to Kill. Some of them do. Im really glad to have that information., When asked what patients need most right now, Henderson paused for a brief moment before answering: transparency., Theres something wrong, he said of the current system. Copyright 1999-2023 AncientFaces, Inc. All Rights Reserved. When he was applying for jobs, however, Duntsch looked like the perfect neurosurgeon. Help paint a picture of Andr so that he is always remembered. Slater is also known for his roles in Mr. In real life, after helping the ADA Michelle Shughart send Duntsch to jail, Dr Henderson continues to practice medicine in Texas. KXAN recently visited Henderson in Fort Worth. I am 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, he wrote, according to"Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story,"a documentary about the case you can watch on Peacock. She was later pronounced dead. Starring alongside Jackson is Alec Baldwin as spine surgeon Robert Henderson and Christian Slater as vascular surgeon Randall Kirbythe two men who did everything in their power to stop Dr. Christopher Duntsch operating ever again. While many people are familiar with Duntsch's story from the Dr. He destroyed the lives of essentially every single patient that he touched. KXAN provided the full list of physician names to the TMB prior to our interview so officials would be fully aware of our findings. Every patient that I interviewed told me that one of the first things Dr. Duntsch would tell them when they initially met was that he was the best surgeon in Dallas., Says Kirby: I wouldnt call him a psychopath, because psychopaths are usually deliberate and theyre organized. Beginning Jan. 1, the TMB says it will more proactively post on its website when it finds new out-of-state disciplinary actions. The surgery was so bad, in fact, he asked himself whether this person possibly be an impostor impersonating a physician?Death Dont Have No Mercy performed by Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams, courtesy of Rough Diamond Records.Please tell us what you think about our show and help us by answering a few questions at wondery.com/surveySubscribe to Dr Death on Apple, Spotify, NPR One, Stitcher or sign up for email updates atwondery.comto stay up to date about future episodes.Listen ad free with Wondery+, including exclusive bonus episodes. Duntschs trial revolved around the latter charge. Anton Floquet/NBCUniversal, Kirby would soon be joined on his mission to keep Duntsch from harming anyone else by, The results of Efurd's surgery were in fact so horrific that Henderson began to suspect Duntsch was an imposter. When 2 or more people share their unique perspectives, In the new Peacock series Dr. In the Dr. Death television adaptation, as in real life, they felt his incompetence verged on something far more sinister. Some of these physicians were found to be repeat offenders with actions in multiple states. FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAN) In Dallas, the same city where Christopher Duntsch once operated more like a butcher according to his former anesthesiologist than a skilled surgeon, Dr. Robert Henderson is still fighting to fix the system that allowed Duntsch to keep practicing. Like Dr Henderson, Dr Kirby is still a practicing doctor in real life. It was an atrocity. "He explained to me that he was the best spine surgeon in Dallas," Dr. Kirby said in a 2019 episode of 'License To Kill.' Adding to those complications is the fact that in Texas, any "non-economic" damages won in a malpractice suit are capped at $250,000. Related:Why Peacock's Removal of Controversial WWE Content Is A Bad Move. Select " [relationship]" As a result of the surgery, a ligament in his leg was severed, and he still endures back pain, according to D Magazine. Adding to those complications is the fact that in Texas, "I felt he was a serial killer and serial maimer. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. We can look at him from the outside, the outcome and evidence are all you need, right? Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Hes a dangerous surgeon, he said to a another spine surgeon. But there are a couple cases on the list where were looking into further., Asked why the board is aware of past disciplinary actions but Texas patients are not, Carlton responded by saying, thats one of the things, starting this year, that we want to start doing.. The next patient he operated on, Kelli Martin, died from blood loss after Duntsch cut a major artery, according to TheTexas Observer. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Henderson learned the third patient had walked in for surgery two days earlier but been unable to bear weight on her legs in the aftermath and was in excruciating pain, he says. He still performs about 50 spinal surgeries a year in the Dallas area. He still found some success at first after moving to Dallas, Texas, where he started in a private practice focused on back pain and spinal issues before starting work as a surgeon in 2011 at Baylor Regional Medical Center in the city of Plano. Thereal Dr. Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) was first made aware of Duntsch's appalling surgery attempts after one of his patients, Mrs. Efurd, had had multiple misplaced holes drilled in her spine by Duntsch. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Memphis College of Medicine with an MD as well as a PhD. However, because he wasn't actually fired, his record remained clean and he was able to get hired at Dallas Medical Center in 2012, where his operation on Floella Brown led to her death after he cut her verbal artery, according to D. Magazine, and botched a surgery on Mary Efurd, by amputating a nerve root and leavingsurgical hardware inside her, reported the Observer. Where did your affordable housing money go? I think it probably depended on the patient because there were also a handful of surgeries that were fine.". Today, some physicians also see Texas as a place to leave their pasts behind. Robert Henderson was a veteran spinal surgeon in Dallas when he got an unusual phone call from a local hospital: a new surgeon had operated so poorly that a patient whod walked in on her own two feet now couldnt even wiggle her toes. As the series depicts, the latter charge was important because it carried the widest breadth of sentencing options. See What AncientFaces Does, We'll connect you with others who know the person you follow. Dog and cat antibiotics are medications prescribed by a veterinarian that can help treat a bacterial infection. He beat incumbent George H.W. However, by law, this information should already be public. Ultimately, 31 of his 38 patients were left maimed, paralyzed, seriously injured, or dead after they were operated on by him. The surgeon who'd performed that operation was Christopher Duntsch. In total, our team discovered disciplinary actions taken against physicians licensed in Texas spread out over 30 different states with no record on the TMB website. Doctor Played By Christian Slater In New Peacock Series Dr. Dr. Deathstars Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater and is a shocking tale of medical malpractice on multiple levels. Duntsch was hit with six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (aka his surgical tools) in 2015. An "In Memoriam" tribute for him is shown at the end of the final episode of the Peacock series. 1 birth, 1 death, View "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story" and the scripted drama "Dr. Death", starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater, are both available to stream on Peacock now. But, obviously, some of them dont Any type of previous disciplinary action, convictions, arrest, is something they would have to disclose upon initial application with us., Again, we cant get into any of the specific cases, Carlton added. Right away, Kirby noticed that Duntsch's technique was flawed: instead of using a scalpel to delicately remove a damaged disc, he went in with a grabbing instrument. Lucy Letby Trial: What to Know About the Nurse Accused of Being U.K.'s Most Prolific Child Killer, 'Grey's Anatomy': Maggie Pierce Makes a Major Decision as Miranda Bailey Faces a New Threat, 'Dr. Absolutely, Dr. Robert Henderson replied. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients Now His Victims Are Speaking Out, 'Grey's Anatomy' : How Kelly McCreary's Maggie Pierce Left and Which Couple Called It Quits. 154.006). I just knew he had to be stopped.". An accomplished spinal surgeon, Robert Henderson still resides and practices in Dallas, primarily focussed on chronic back and leg pain. As heard in the podcast, Duntsch reportedly continued to operate despite the fact Martin was losing a significant amount of blood. To get information faster. After his plea for Dr. Duntsch's immediate suspension fell on deaf ears, he teamed up with Dr. Randall Kirby to begin recording Duntsch's surgeries to obtain enough evidence to bring Dr. Dunstch to trial. Henderson and Kirby, working in the same medical orbit, eventually realized they were both aware of Duntsch's catastrophic surgical complications. Another surgeon, Randall Kirby, contacted Henderson with similar concerns. For a few years, he worked at a company focused on cell-based therapy. The attempt failed and 8 US servicemen were killed. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more! The new true crime show, which comes out Thursday, tells the story of promising-turned-disgraced surgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Jackson), who was accused of maiming and killing his more than two dozed patients. Was it possible that Duntsch wasn't just a bad surgeon, but a violent man intent on hurting people? I think they have their priorities wrong, Henderson said. The Peacock original series "Dr. Death" is coming to USA Network this October here's what to know about Christopher Duntsch, the real doctor who inspired the show. The expecting mother will need diapers and bottles, but she will also need comfy maternity clothes to wear throughout her pregnancy or a maternity pillow. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. A search of the TMBs data portal for the doctors we identified found no record of disciplinary actions or criminal histories from other states. Described as brilliant by those who knew him before his crimes, Duntsch's medical license was revoked during his two-year reign of terror before his eventual prosecution and sentencing. He sewed up one mans throat with a bloody sponge inside. He first found employment as a practicing physician in Texas in 2011. Here's a look at all the major Dr. Death characters and their real-life counterparts. Did Andr serve in the military or did a war or conflict interfere with his life? He was granted temporary privileges at the center and operated on two patients: Floella Brown and Mary Efurd. Morguloff, too, suffered chronic pain after being operated on by Duntsch. Filing a malpractice claim is already a daunting and overwhelming process, and the cap on non-economic damages presented affected patients with another constraint in seeking recourse. https://wondery.app.link/drdeathSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. A key piece of prosecution evidence wound up being a video Henderson had recordedof his attempt to repair Efurd's original operation. Thats correct, Carlton admitted. KXAN compared the TMBs two-year reporting requirement to 10 other states including Florida, New York, California and Colorado. Kirby had worked with Duntsch once and vowed never to do it again. Of the cold-blooded killer email, defence attorney Robbie McClung said the tone was unclear and Duntsch could have been sarcastic in the message to Morgan. Roussimoff family member is 47. Who is Andr Roussimoff to you? Death podcast, which was heard by an estimated 60 million people, and portrayed by Alec Baldwin in a Peacock miniseries with the same title, Henderson today is now semi-retired. To date, he's covered a wide range of TV and Film stories for Screen Rant, including delineating exactly why Gladiator 2 should never see the light of day, detailing numerous left-field fan theories, and reporting Netflix's ever-changing top 10 movies and TV shows each week. graduate of UEL, Charles spent several years in corporate analytics roles before committing to pursuing editing full time. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. He knew right away that what he saw was highly unusual and suspicious. And it took other physicians to listen to the victims, and to see the bizarre pattern of unfathomable errors Duntschleft behind in those patients' bodies, for officials to finally take action. In "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story," a new docuseries streaming now on Peacock, the victims who were maimed by Christopher Duntsch are front and center. There is also a nod that Duntsch is the first doctor to be successfully convicted of aggravated assault, which serves as a chilling reminder ofthe human cost of his actions and the true story behind the Dr. Death series. The errors ranged from screws in the wrong places to bone fragments being left in spine canals. Despite being robbed of his mobility, Summers refused to testify against Duntsch in one of the most heartbreaking moments of the Peacock TV show. Netflix's 'Heist' Creator on Why We Root for the Bad Guy. His privileges were retracted less than one week later, following the death of Brown and the maiming of Efurd. It was discovered in 1767 by a shepherdess, who was going to throw a silver rich rock at a goat. His defence team argued that he was merely a bad surgeon, not a criminal.