Over the course of just two years, Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Dr. Death operated on 38 patients in the Dallas area, leaving 31 paralyzed or seriously injured and two of them dead.
From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. Even worse, some of the patients never got the chance to wake up. And it’s all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch — a.k.a. “Dr. Death.”
Duntsch’s career started off bright. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. However, things soon went south.
Now, a new podcast called Dr. Death is breaking down the deranged surgeon’s criminal acts and shows how drug abuse and blinding overconfidence led to big trouble for the patients who found themselves underneath the spiraling doctor’s knife.
Promising Beginnings
Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana in 1971 and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of Memphis, Tenn. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher.
Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee Health Center. According to D Magazine , Duntsch did so well in medical school that he was allowed to join the prestigious Alpha Omega Medical Honor Society.
He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding, according to Rolling Stone .
However, it wouldn’t be long until Duntsch’s seemingly perfect career began to unravel.
The Downward Spiral Of Christopher Duntsch
Around 2006 and 2007, Duntsch began to become unhinged. According to Megan Kane, an ex-girlfriend of one of Duntsch’s friends, she saw him eat a paper blotter of LSD and take prescription painkillers on his birthday.
She also said that he kept a pile of cocaine on his dresser in his home office. Kane also recalled a cocaine- and LSD-fueled night of partying between her, her ex-boyfriend, and Duntsch where, after the end of their all-night party, she saw Duntsch put on his lab coat and go to work.
According to D Magazine , a doctor at the hospital where Duntsch worked said that Duntsch had been sent to an impaired physician program after he refused to take a drug test. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency.
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.
After he arrived in town, he secured a deal with the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and was given surgical rights at the hospital.
The Victims Of Dr. Death
Over the course of two years, Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Dr. Death operated on 38 patients in the Dallas area. Of those 38, 31 were left paralyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications.
Through it all, one way Duntsch was able to lure patient after patient under his knife was his extreme confidence.
Dr. Mark Hoyle, a surgeon who worked with Duntsch during one of his botched procedures, told D Magazine that he would make extremely arrogant announcements such as: “Everybody is doing it wrong. I’m the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.”
Before working with him, Dr. Hoyle said that he didn’t know how to feel about his fellow surgeon.
“I thought he was either really, really good, or he’s just really, really arrogant and thought he was good,” Hoyle said.
He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Duntsch was fired after he performed a surgery and immediately left for Las Vegas, leaving no one to look after his patient.
He might have been fired from the Institute but was still a surgeon at Baylor Plano. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Duntsch.
In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. When he woke up, he was a quadriplegic with incomplete paralysis. According to Rolling Stone, this means that Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down.
Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin.
After a fall in her kitchen, Martin had experienced chronic back pain and sought out surgery to alleviate it. Martin would become Duntsch’s first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure.
Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage.
His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. Floella Brown went under his knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery.
The day that Brown suffered her stroke, Duntsch operated again. This time on 53-year-old Mary Efurd.
She came in to have two vertebrae fused, but when she woke up she experienced severe pain and couldn’t stand. A CT scan would later reveal that Efurd’s nerve root had been amputated, there were several screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and one screw had been lodged in another nerve root.
Downfall
Dr. Death was fired before the end of his first week for the damage he’d inflicted on Brown and Efurd.
After several more months of botched surgeries, Duntsch finally lost his surgical privileges altogether in June 2013 after two physicians complained to the Texas Medical Board.
In July 2015, a grand jury indicted Dr. Death on five counts of aggravated assault and one count of harming an elderly person, his patient Mary Efurd, according to Rolling Stone.
Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. He is currently appealing this sentence.
After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Dr. Death, read about how reckless surgeon Robert Liston killed his patient and two bystanders. Then check out the horrifying story of Simon Bramhall, a surgeon who admitted to burning his initials into patients’ livers.

Nigerians were not happy after their president was elected as the new ECOWAS chairman. see Twitter reactions below.

the way this people talk, it makes me wonder if they think we don't have sense or we are all zombies. complain and protest are they not alike? I swear Nigeria is good down little by little..for PVC to be sold online.

like play like play we'll get there...

idiot...hungry bastard scammer from a poor home.

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As a youth or a mere citizen of Nigeria, I mind my business when it comes to politics in NIgeria. My country NIgeria is a country for who know who. if you don't know/have anybody or you don't have money, you won't get what you want-unless by God's grace. So I try my best to hustle, live a meaningful life and achieve my goal so that I can survive in this wicked country. No time to wait for our leaders- because they don't have us in mind. PEACE. I'm just trying to make sense and speak my mind.

Blesschemical:
Institution: Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
Course: Chemistry
Level: 400

hi, blessing I'm also a mouau student & in CEET with you, same level-but I'm studying comp Engr. here's my contact....pls send me a mail....johnpaulanigbogu@gmail.com...I look forward to meet you.

School: Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State.

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Course: Computer Engineering

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I don't know why Nigerians have the mentality of having to fend for a girl whenever u r into a relationship.
The guy is a loser and for ever be.
the babe will surely get her reward-karma is a bitch ....

oga....since are games are sure....pls play it alone and win alone....haba. ...no b by force.....all this scammers...

Laura ikeji shits- FrontPage. Laura ikeji mess- FrontPage. Laura ikeji cooks - FrontPage. Laura ikeji upadan.....shey we no go hear word again safe delivery sha

this witch doctor go sell ooo...see as she don advertise her products /jaz for tv....
hmmm very soon all d women for Kenya go dey buy d tins for her hand....I no go dey surprised if dem even sell d stuff for Konga. olx. and co

waste of resources.....

I'm tired of Nigeria's leader's. when they do what they are meant to do-they start posting pics and videos and start praising themselves. when they don't do what they were voted for-they start giving silly excuses.
WE VOTED THEM TO WORK....But they see it as a big deal.
NIGERIA'S GREATEST PROBLEM IS OUR LEADER'S.
as for those fighting themselves on nairaland - note that when civil war occurs in Nigeria. our leaders will be the first to leave.
GET SENSE...our leaders don't have us in mind....imagine student struggling to register/take jamb just yo gain admission into Nigeria university....while Iiur leaders children are always graduating from foreign universities....just this past few months about 4 governor's children just graduated from foreign university....I PITY MY COUNTRY.

johnpaulanigbogu@gmail.com johnpaulanigbogu@Yahoo.com

Pls what's the function of JAMB??.
when I become the president of Nigeria, I'll scrap jamb and even nysc....the monthly allowance will be paid once you are a graduate.....I swear our leaders are blind....the have no plans for us.

I'm presently studying computer engineering in Mouau. ....it's a big mess...Nigeria education is flopped. ....private uni is better.

I'm tired of my country Nigeria... hunger everywhere. .. a cup of garri is now #100.... Our leaders are not trying.

ipreach:


http://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/reuben-views/item/727-the-nigeria-prays-for-buhari-competition-reuben-abati

RUBBISH
This government dey make some people think like mumu..
buhari has been a failure ever since he took over. I don't wish him death but I wish he steps down for a more competent person.

supereagle:

According to someone, Rochas is the wealthiest person to ever govern Imo, but the worst experience Imo ever had.

Now I know most politicians are heartless...rochas knows too well that he's not performing well and he's people are suffering. but he chose to walk and talk anyhow. . How I wish Nigeria's can stone just one wicked politician to death and he'll be an example for the rest to see.

Nothing has been working well under this government. I mean NOTHING. Everyone has been affected negatively either financially, morally, physically, academically, etc. But God will see us through this hard times.

For the past 2months now...no good news has come out of Imo state....but rochas is always jumping up and down as if he's campaigning...Well done sir..people eyes dun clear.

Protesting is now a criminal offence punishable only by the police,Das and Military....
when IPOB where protesting. shey they said we are foolish....
ask 2face why he cancelled his protest?
Check well my fellow Nigerians this present government wants us to be suffering and smiling without complaining.
But only Fayose and Nnamdi Kanu pass them. you can ask pastor Suleiman.

Choas everywhere when we have a acting president acting chief judge acting efcc chairman ....acting economy.... very soon Nigerians will all turn to Acting citizen's.

#IStandWith2Baba we want good governance. Wish the same thing is been done to BUHARI and other useless clueless leaders.