1 00:00:07,425 --> 00:00:08,551 -Do you have a drug-and-alcohol problem, sir? 2 00:00:09,969 --> 00:00:11,971 -No, ma'am. Never have. -I talked to a doctor who said 3 00:00:12,013 --> 00:00:13,765 that you are like a serial killer. 4 00:00:13,806 --> 00:00:17,101 -I'll deal with that in the context of libel later. 5 00:00:17,143 --> 00:00:19,395 ** 6 00:00:19,437 --> 00:00:23,357 -There's this inherent faith in doctors. 7 00:00:23,399 --> 00:00:26,694 Because if we can't trust our doctor, who can we trust? 8 00:00:26,736 --> 00:00:29,864 -Christopher Duntsch really believed 9 00:00:29,906 --> 00:00:33,284 that he was unstoppable. 10 00:00:33,326 --> 00:00:37,747 -I thought finally found someone that's gonna be able to fix me. 11 00:00:37,789 --> 00:00:40,458 -"I can fix you" was like the magic word. 12 00:00:40,500 --> 00:00:42,710 Boom. That's all I heard. 13 00:00:42,752 --> 00:00:47,632 -He said to them, "I can make you better." 14 00:00:47,673 --> 00:00:49,926 That makes what Christopher Duntsch did 15 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:51,803 so devious. 16 00:00:51,844 --> 00:00:53,805 ** 17 00:00:53,846 --> 00:00:56,641 -He fooled everyone. 18 00:00:56,682 --> 00:01:00,311 -Couldn't move my arms or my legs and I was decapitated. 19 00:01:00,353 --> 00:01:03,898 -I was paralyzed totally on the right side. 20 00:01:03,940 --> 00:01:06,067 ** 21 00:01:06,109 --> 00:01:07,693 -She bled to death. 22 00:01:07,735 --> 00:01:12,115 ** 23 00:01:12,156 --> 00:01:14,909 -He was sociopathic... 24 00:01:14,951 --> 00:01:17,120 narcissistic... 25 00:01:17,161 --> 00:01:19,580 a madman. 26 00:01:19,622 --> 00:01:22,250 -Have you ever been under the influence of cocaine 27 00:01:22,291 --> 00:01:23,960 while you were taking care of a patient? 28 00:01:24,001 --> 00:01:25,920 -I take the Fifth. 29 00:01:25,962 --> 00:01:28,172 -He carried lots of secrets. 30 00:01:28,214 --> 00:01:31,551 While I was pregnant, there was an affair going on. 31 00:01:31,592 --> 00:01:33,761 -How many times did y'all have a date in the office? 32 00:01:33,803 --> 00:01:35,304 -We probably tried to get together 33 00:01:35,346 --> 00:01:37,306 two times a week, maybe three. 34 00:01:37,348 --> 00:01:38,725 ** 35 00:01:38,766 --> 00:01:40,893 -His life is really spinning out of control. 36 00:01:40,935 --> 00:01:43,521 -How many people do you have to cripple? 37 00:01:43,563 --> 00:01:45,857 How many people do you have to kill? 38 00:01:45,898 --> 00:01:47,275 -We just felt that we had 39 00:01:47,316 --> 00:01:50,111 the medical equivalent of a serial killer on our hands. 40 00:01:50,153 --> 00:01:52,363 [ Siren wails ] 41 00:01:52,405 --> 00:01:54,949 -He thought he was God. 42 00:01:54,991 --> 00:01:56,659 -He's a stone-cold killer. 43 00:01:56,701 --> 00:02:05,585 ** 44 00:02:05,626 --> 00:02:14,385 ** 45 00:02:14,427 --> 00:02:23,311 ** 46 00:02:23,352 --> 00:02:32,236 ** 47 00:02:32,278 --> 00:02:41,245 ** 48 00:02:41,287 --> 00:02:50,171 ** 49 00:02:50,213 --> 00:02:51,589 -I'm Jerry Summers, 50 00:02:51,631 --> 00:02:53,424 and Christopher Duntsch 51 00:02:53,466 --> 00:02:55,927 was my best friend. 52 00:02:55,968 --> 00:02:57,387 ** 53 00:02:57,428 --> 00:03:01,766 We met summer before our junior-high year. 54 00:03:01,808 --> 00:03:05,103 We were both football players. 55 00:03:05,144 --> 00:03:07,397 My first impression of Chris 56 00:03:07,438 --> 00:03:10,191 was a real smart, hardworking guy. 57 00:03:10,233 --> 00:03:14,612 That's just the way he was, the way he was wired. 58 00:03:14,654 --> 00:03:18,449 His family is really warm, loving family. 59 00:03:18,491 --> 00:03:21,786 Very faith-based. 60 00:03:21,828 --> 00:03:24,372 -Christopher Duntsch couldn't have come from 61 00:03:24,414 --> 00:03:26,749 a more all-American family. 62 00:03:26,791 --> 00:03:29,794 He was the oldest of three. 63 00:03:29,836 --> 00:03:32,046 His dad did some missionary work. 64 00:03:32,088 --> 00:03:33,840 His mom was a schoolteacher. 65 00:03:33,881 --> 00:03:38,386 His parents were lovely people who doted on their son. 66 00:03:38,428 --> 00:03:43,057 -When I first met Chris, we were 12, 13 years old. 67 00:03:43,099 --> 00:03:46,436 He seemed to have a typical Southern upbringing. 68 00:03:46,477 --> 00:03:48,813 ** 69 00:03:48,855 --> 00:03:51,274 We went to high school in Cordova, Tennessee, 70 00:03:51,315 --> 00:03:53,985 at Evangelical Christian School. 71 00:03:54,026 --> 00:03:56,696 All the football players kind of hung out together. 72 00:03:56,738 --> 00:03:59,490 Chris wasn't the most athletic guy, 73 00:03:59,532 --> 00:04:01,242 but he was so driven in football. 74 00:04:01,284 --> 00:04:03,411 If we were required to work out one time a day, 75 00:04:03,453 --> 00:04:04,996 he would be there twice. 76 00:04:05,037 --> 00:04:09,041 He was always wanting to do more than everybody else. 77 00:04:09,083 --> 00:04:14,047 -He had a supreme confidence in his abilities. 78 00:04:14,088 --> 00:04:17,508 He wouldn't give up. 79 00:04:17,550 --> 00:04:20,344 If he wanted to learn a drill, 80 00:04:20,386 --> 00:04:23,473 he would just keep doing it over and over and over, 81 00:04:23,514 --> 00:04:25,433 and he believed in this philosophy 82 00:04:25,475 --> 00:04:27,769 that if you just work hard enough, 83 00:04:27,810 --> 00:04:30,730 you just keep practicing, you can overcome. 84 00:04:30,772 --> 00:04:33,191 -Chris was, like, a straight-A student. 85 00:04:33,232 --> 00:04:36,069 You know, he worked very hard in school. 86 00:04:36,110 --> 00:04:38,613 But Chris was about Chris. 87 00:04:38,654 --> 00:04:40,656 He had a temper. I mean, he -- 88 00:04:40,698 --> 00:04:43,201 he could snap pretty quick if you pushed him. 89 00:04:43,242 --> 00:04:45,828 You know, I saw him get mad several times at people. 90 00:04:45,870 --> 00:04:49,040 I don't think he cared as much about other people's feelings. 91 00:04:49,082 --> 00:04:52,251 -He was a little bit of a loner, but he was confident 92 00:04:52,293 --> 00:04:54,128 because he was successful 93 00:04:54,170 --> 00:04:58,299 in the classroom and on the field and with girls. 94 00:04:58,341 --> 00:04:59,634 When you look at him, you think 95 00:04:59,675 --> 00:05:03,471 that guy has a lot going on for him. 96 00:05:03,513 --> 00:05:05,932 ** 97 00:05:05,973 --> 00:05:08,851 Chris lived with my grandmother and I 98 00:05:08,893 --> 00:05:11,729 when he was in undergraduate school. 99 00:05:11,771 --> 00:05:15,733 He came home saying that he was going to be a doctor, 100 00:05:15,775 --> 00:05:19,153 and it did not surprise me in the least bit. 101 00:05:19,195 --> 00:05:21,614 -He was gonna get through medical school. 102 00:05:21,656 --> 00:05:23,574 That's just the way he was driven. 103 00:05:23,616 --> 00:05:26,702 -On paper, he had perfect credentials. 104 00:05:26,744 --> 00:05:29,580 He definitely liked to boast about his own abilities. 105 00:05:29,622 --> 00:05:31,749 In his mind, he was never anything 106 00:05:31,791 --> 00:05:34,877 other than the best, the smartest. 107 00:05:34,919 --> 00:05:37,171 ** 108 00:05:37,213 --> 00:05:39,465 -He trained in neurosurgery in Memphis 109 00:05:39,507 --> 00:05:42,260 at the University of Tennessee program, 110 00:05:42,301 --> 00:05:43,761 and he did a fellowship 111 00:05:43,803 --> 00:05:47,056 at the Semmes Murphey Spine Institute in Memphis. 112 00:05:47,098 --> 00:05:48,433 [ Monitor beeping ] 113 00:05:48,474 --> 00:05:50,810 -He wanted to be a neurosurgeon. 114 00:05:50,852 --> 00:05:52,770 Most people, they're either 115 00:05:52,812 --> 00:05:56,816 on the research side or they're on the medical side. 116 00:05:56,858 --> 00:05:59,444 And he wanted to cover both sides. 117 00:05:59,485 --> 00:06:01,571 And he did. 118 00:06:01,612 --> 00:06:03,948 Chris really believed he was probably 119 00:06:03,990 --> 00:06:07,827 going to cure cancer and save the world. 120 00:06:07,869 --> 00:06:09,912 ** 121 00:06:09,954 --> 00:06:13,291 -In the story of Dunstch's childhood, 122 00:06:13,332 --> 00:06:17,503 we want to point to some kind of smoking gun, 123 00:06:17,545 --> 00:06:20,048 but there was no reason to believe 124 00:06:20,089 --> 00:06:23,634 he was anything other than how he presented himself. 125 00:06:23,676 --> 00:06:25,303 [ Monitor beeping ] 126 00:06:25,344 --> 00:06:27,305 I think that makes it scarier. 127 00:06:27,346 --> 00:06:31,976 ** 128 00:06:32,018 --> 00:06:35,730 [ Indistinct conversations ] 129 00:06:35,772 --> 00:06:37,815 -I was working at the Gold Club 130 00:06:37,857 --> 00:06:40,777 on the night that I met Chris. 131 00:06:40,818 --> 00:06:43,196 He came in with his friend Jerry, 132 00:06:43,237 --> 00:06:45,198 and he had a whole table full of women. 133 00:06:45,239 --> 00:06:47,492 All the other girls were kind of fighting 134 00:06:47,533 --> 00:06:50,328 over that spot at the table. 135 00:06:50,369 --> 00:06:52,163 -We had a night for a while 136 00:06:52,205 --> 00:06:56,667 where we would go to a strip club once a week. 137 00:06:56,709 --> 00:06:58,836 -You could tell we were interested in each other. 138 00:06:58,878 --> 00:07:00,713 Another friend of mine kind of said, 139 00:07:00,755 --> 00:07:03,174 "Hey, let me introduce you to him." 140 00:07:03,216 --> 00:07:05,009 I was like, "Oh, he's a doctor 141 00:07:05,051 --> 00:07:07,178 and he's charming and he's handsome." 142 00:07:07,220 --> 00:07:11,265 And then we had a few drinks, and I went back to his house. 143 00:07:11,307 --> 00:07:13,184 I was swept off my feet. 144 00:07:13,226 --> 00:07:14,602 Chris was the dream guy 145 00:07:14,644 --> 00:07:16,896 everyone will tell you about in, like, the fairy tale. 146 00:07:16,938 --> 00:07:18,481 -He pulled her out of the club. 147 00:07:18,523 --> 00:07:20,483 He saw her and wanted to save her. 148 00:07:20,525 --> 00:07:23,236 I guess he loved her. 149 00:07:23,277 --> 00:07:27,573 -First, he was like, "Hey, let's go to Vegas, get married." 150 00:07:27,615 --> 00:07:29,909 He wanted me to think that everything 151 00:07:29,951 --> 00:07:32,036 was just picture-perfect. 152 00:07:32,078 --> 00:07:36,582 But I got pregnant the first night that we slept together. 153 00:07:36,624 --> 00:07:39,210 He was pissed. 154 00:07:39,252 --> 00:07:42,046 Eventually, when we got past the rough patch, 155 00:07:42,088 --> 00:07:45,466 he seemed to be on board with my pregnancy. 156 00:07:45,508 --> 00:07:47,051 He said, "I've got a couple offers 157 00:07:47,093 --> 00:07:51,347 to go to either San Diego, Dallas, or New York." 158 00:07:51,389 --> 00:07:54,392 And I was like, "Well, I'm from Dallas. Let's just go." 159 00:07:54,434 --> 00:07:57,228 ** 160 00:07:57,270 --> 00:07:59,188 -He said, "Wherever I go, are you going with me? 161 00:07:59,230 --> 00:08:01,607 Are you coming with me?" I thought it sounded fun. 162 00:08:01,649 --> 00:08:06,529 Dallas sounded like a nice place to be. 163 00:08:06,571 --> 00:08:09,240 -We moved into The W. 164 00:08:09,282 --> 00:08:12,243 -Pulling up to The W. Then the guy jumps out. 165 00:08:12,285 --> 00:08:13,911 "Oh, Chris, Jerry. 166 00:08:13,953 --> 00:08:16,247 Can I drive you tonight, Jerry? You need anything?" 167 00:08:16,289 --> 00:08:18,374 You know, they're just kissing your ass, 168 00:08:18,416 --> 00:08:19,751 you know, left and right. 169 00:08:19,792 --> 00:08:21,961 [ Indistinct conversations ] 170 00:08:22,003 --> 00:08:25,089 -Duntsch, he was being paid a really big salary, 171 00:08:25,131 --> 00:08:28,676 and he, you know, had it made. 172 00:08:28,718 --> 00:08:38,394 ** 173 00:08:38,436 --> 00:08:40,813 -Baylor Plano needed a neurosurgeon up there, 174 00:08:40,855 --> 00:08:43,775 so it fit perfect that he was gonna go up there 175 00:08:43,816 --> 00:08:46,861 and start a career in neurosurgery. 176 00:08:46,903 --> 00:08:51,240 -He told me that the doctors there were very prominent 177 00:08:51,282 --> 00:08:55,286 amongst the Dallas spine community. 178 00:08:55,328 --> 00:08:57,705 People were wanting him to come into their hospital, 179 00:08:57,747 --> 00:09:01,292 and they were lining up to come see him. 180 00:09:01,334 --> 00:09:03,211 -First thing I heard about Dr. Duntsch 181 00:09:03,252 --> 00:09:06,631 was that he was coming from a big, powerful program in Memphis 182 00:09:06,672 --> 00:09:08,800 and he had a couple of PhDs 183 00:09:08,841 --> 00:09:11,969 and he was supposed to be this hot-shot surgeon. 184 00:09:12,011 --> 00:09:15,640 -They had plans to put him on a billboard. 185 00:09:15,681 --> 00:09:17,350 Christopher Duntsch was going to be 186 00:09:17,392 --> 00:09:21,479 their new rising-star neurosurgeon. 187 00:09:21,521 --> 00:09:23,564 ** 188 00:09:23,606 --> 00:09:24,982 -The first time I met Dr. Duntsch 189 00:09:25,024 --> 00:09:28,027 was in the operating suites at Baylor Plano. 190 00:09:28,069 --> 00:09:29,862 I was scrubbing on a case, 191 00:09:29,904 --> 00:09:31,614 and Dr. Duntsch was close by 192 00:09:31,656 --> 00:09:34,200 scrubbing to go do one of his cases. 193 00:09:34,242 --> 00:09:38,079 The way that he introduced himself was fairly unusual. 194 00:09:38,121 --> 00:09:42,500 He stated that he was the best neurosurgeon in Dallas 195 00:09:42,542 --> 00:09:45,169 and he was going to clean up all the spine work in Dallas. 196 00:09:45,211 --> 00:09:47,547 I was like going, "Who is this guy?" 197 00:09:47,588 --> 00:09:49,507 ** 198 00:09:49,549 --> 00:09:52,593 -Dr. Duntsch rubbed people the wrong way right off the bat 199 00:09:52,635 --> 00:09:54,679 because he came in with these 200 00:09:54,721 --> 00:09:57,515 established neurosurgeons and spine surgeons in town, 201 00:09:57,557 --> 00:10:00,351 saying none of them knew what the heck they were doing. 202 00:10:00,393 --> 00:10:03,104 There was a new sheriff in town named Christopher Duntsch 203 00:10:03,146 --> 00:10:06,232 and he was here to clean up Dallas. 204 00:10:06,274 --> 00:10:12,697 ** 205 00:10:12,739 --> 00:10:15,283 -He was brought on board at Baylor, 206 00:10:15,324 --> 00:10:17,702 and they had all these great plans for him, 207 00:10:17,744 --> 00:10:19,704 and he started operating. 208 00:10:19,746 --> 00:10:22,999 ** 209 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,753 The first surgery there was a man named Lee Passmore. 210 00:10:26,794 --> 00:10:30,923 -He had had a previous surgery that apparently had failed 211 00:10:30,965 --> 00:10:33,176 and he was still having a lot of pain. 212 00:10:33,217 --> 00:10:36,554 So we were gonna go in and take out his L5-S1 disc, 213 00:10:36,596 --> 00:10:39,557 which is the simplest disc to take out from the front. 214 00:10:39,599 --> 00:10:42,185 -The anterior approach to the spine is something 215 00:10:42,226 --> 00:10:44,228 that spine guys don't know how to do. 216 00:10:44,270 --> 00:10:48,232 They have to hire us to get to the spine from the front. 217 00:10:48,274 --> 00:10:52,111 -First time I met Duntsch, basically introduced himself 218 00:10:52,153 --> 00:10:56,199 as God's gift to spine surgery in the State of Texas... 219 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,619 that he had come to save all the patients in Texas 220 00:10:59,660 --> 00:11:02,371 from all this horrible, lousy spine surgery 221 00:11:02,413 --> 00:11:03,581 that was being done. 222 00:11:03,623 --> 00:11:05,583 And that kind of shocked me a little bit, 223 00:11:05,625 --> 00:11:09,212 and especially for a guy just out of his fellowship. 224 00:11:09,253 --> 00:11:11,172 I mean, you want a surgeon to be a little arrogant, 225 00:11:11,214 --> 00:11:15,927 to think highly of himself, but not that much. 226 00:11:15,968 --> 00:11:18,221 And at the same time, the guy's got two PhDs. 227 00:11:18,262 --> 00:11:21,474 He came from this big, powerful training program in Memphis. 228 00:11:21,516 --> 00:11:25,603 And so I thought either he's all that or -- or he's full of shit. 229 00:11:25,645 --> 00:11:28,106 [ Monitor beeping ] 230 00:11:28,147 --> 00:11:30,608 Just from his moves and what he was doing, 231 00:11:30,650 --> 00:11:35,238 I could tell he hadn't done this operation very much at all. 232 00:11:35,279 --> 00:11:39,075 So I started to try to tactfully walk him through it. 233 00:11:39,117 --> 00:11:40,451 What he was doing just -- 234 00:11:40,493 --> 00:11:43,079 It just didn't make a lot of sense to me. 235 00:11:43,121 --> 00:11:44,455 He had taken out the whole disc, 236 00:11:44,497 --> 00:11:46,541 and we start getting into all this bleeding. 237 00:11:46,582 --> 00:11:48,876 Got all this blood. I've got two suckers in the wound 238 00:11:48,918 --> 00:11:51,295 to control the blood, and I'm like, 239 00:11:51,337 --> 00:11:53,965 "I can't see where the bleeding's coming from." 240 00:11:54,006 --> 00:11:56,634 And he's working blindly through the blood. 241 00:11:56,676 --> 00:11:58,469 ** 242 00:11:58,511 --> 00:12:01,431 I said, "Stop. Let me get control of this bleeding. 243 00:12:01,472 --> 00:12:03,641 And then I'll let you do whatever you want to do." 244 00:12:03,683 --> 00:12:05,977 He says, "That's not necessary. I can feel it." 245 00:12:06,018 --> 00:12:07,979 And I'm like, "No, no, no. You're not gonna feel it. 246 00:12:08,020 --> 00:12:10,314 What you're doing is unsafe." 247 00:12:10,356 --> 00:12:12,024 ** 248 00:12:12,066 --> 00:12:13,735 And that's when I kind of lost it and said, 249 00:12:13,776 --> 00:12:17,780 "No, you're gonna let me get this, or I'm leaving right now." 250 00:12:17,822 --> 00:12:20,199 You could've heard a pin drop because there was definitely 251 00:12:20,241 --> 00:12:23,578 some tension in that room. 252 00:12:23,619 --> 00:12:25,788 I mean, the guy couldn't operate. He was terrible! 253 00:12:25,830 --> 00:12:27,832 It was clear to me the guy was nuts. 254 00:12:27,874 --> 00:12:31,419 ** 255 00:12:38,968 --> 00:12:42,096 ** 256 00:12:42,138 --> 00:12:45,892 -With Lee Passmore, Duntsch did a few things wrong. 257 00:12:45,933 --> 00:12:48,436 He misaligned the cage. 258 00:12:48,478 --> 00:12:50,063 ** 259 00:12:50,104 --> 00:12:54,942 He also basically put a screw through a nerve. 260 00:12:54,984 --> 00:12:57,236 Even though that screw has been removed, 261 00:12:57,278 --> 00:12:59,447 he's got permanent damage to that nerve, 262 00:12:59,489 --> 00:13:02,742 and so he suffers constantly from pain. 263 00:13:02,784 --> 00:13:07,997 ** 264 00:13:08,039 --> 00:13:10,666 Lee's surgery was a complete botch, 265 00:13:10,708 --> 00:13:13,503 and Duntsch would have known it. 266 00:13:13,544 --> 00:13:18,508 ** 267 00:13:18,549 --> 00:13:20,927 Pretty early on while he was at Baylor Plano, 268 00:13:20,968 --> 00:13:22,637 things started going horribly wrong. 269 00:13:22,678 --> 00:13:25,056 The neurosurgical community is a pretty small community. 270 00:13:25,098 --> 00:13:27,517 They talk. They know each other. 271 00:13:27,558 --> 00:13:30,728 Word was already out that Duntsch was a problem. 272 00:13:30,770 --> 00:13:32,814 ** 273 00:13:32,855 --> 00:13:35,650 -I pretty much broadcast to the other surgeons I work with 274 00:13:35,691 --> 00:13:39,278 that I was never working with Duntsch again. 275 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:41,864 -Dr. Hoyle and I were partners for 15 years. 276 00:13:41,906 --> 00:13:43,866 He's a close friend. 277 00:13:43,908 --> 00:13:45,535 When I got that call from Dr. Hoyle, 278 00:13:45,576 --> 00:13:49,080 I knew we had trouble. 279 00:13:49,122 --> 00:13:52,375 He said, like, "Randy, do not scrub with him. 280 00:13:52,417 --> 00:13:56,045 We need to shut him down because he's a disaster." 281 00:13:56,087 --> 00:13:58,673 ** 282 00:13:58,715 --> 00:14:00,174 -Duntsch came to Dallas. 283 00:14:00,216 --> 00:14:03,720 He brought his best friend, Jerry Summers, with him. 284 00:14:03,761 --> 00:14:06,556 His girlfriend, Wendy Young, came with him, 285 00:14:06,597 --> 00:14:10,601 and they lived in this really nice house near Baylor Plano. 286 00:14:10,643 --> 00:14:11,936 ** 287 00:14:11,978 --> 00:14:13,563 -I thought everything was going great. 288 00:14:13,604 --> 00:14:16,441 I thought that he was expanding his practice. 289 00:14:16,482 --> 00:14:20,903 He had ended up hiring a nurse practitioner, Kimberly Morgan. 290 00:14:20,945 --> 00:14:22,947 ** 291 00:14:22,989 --> 00:14:24,907 The first time I met Kimberly Morgan 292 00:14:24,949 --> 00:14:27,994 was at our home office. 293 00:14:28,035 --> 00:14:30,872 At the moment, I didn't think anything bad. 294 00:14:30,913 --> 00:14:35,543 I just know they spent a lot of time in his office. 295 00:14:35,585 --> 00:14:39,088 One night, they went out to this event, him and Kimberly. 296 00:14:39,130 --> 00:14:41,758 When they came home, back to our house, 297 00:14:41,799 --> 00:14:45,094 they were all very drunk. 298 00:14:45,136 --> 00:14:46,804 Chris fell on the ground, and Kimberly 299 00:14:46,846 --> 00:14:50,224 laid on top of Christopher at that point and kissed him. 300 00:14:50,266 --> 00:14:52,143 And I just felt my blood boil. 301 00:14:52,185 --> 00:14:53,728 That night was the night I realized 302 00:14:53,770 --> 00:14:57,940 that Kimberly was more than just his assistant. 303 00:14:57,982 --> 00:15:00,026 [ Keyboard clacking ] 304 00:15:27,678 --> 00:15:29,806 -Will you tell me your full name, please? 305 00:15:29,847 --> 00:15:32,141 -Kimberly Keen Morgan. 306 00:15:32,183 --> 00:15:34,018 -What do you do for work? 307 00:15:34,060 --> 00:15:36,646 -I'm a family nurse practitioner. 308 00:15:36,687 --> 00:15:39,982 -You get introduced to Wendy Young in August of 2011? 309 00:15:40,024 --> 00:15:41,818 -Yes, sir, as his secretary. 310 00:15:41,859 --> 00:15:43,820 She moved down here, and she was pregnant, 311 00:15:43,861 --> 00:15:46,155 and her husband would be moving down with her. 312 00:15:46,197 --> 00:15:48,574 -And what were the lies that you concluded 313 00:15:48,616 --> 00:15:51,577 they were telling you about all of that? 314 00:15:51,619 --> 00:15:55,498 -He told me that she, in fact, was not the secretary, 315 00:15:55,540 --> 00:15:59,043 that she was actually someone he had dated, 316 00:15:59,085 --> 00:16:02,547 and then she became pregnant and that that was his child. 317 00:16:02,588 --> 00:16:06,050 And he tried multiple times to get her to have an abortion. 318 00:16:27,238 --> 00:16:31,534 -The day I went into labor with Aiden, 319 00:16:31,576 --> 00:16:36,873 Chris had to help the nurse on duty that day deliver my son. 320 00:16:36,914 --> 00:16:38,875 I thought he was gonna pass out. 321 00:16:38,916 --> 00:16:41,461 I'm like, "You know, I'm depending on you here to get me through this." 322 00:16:41,502 --> 00:16:43,588 I'm pushing. Nothing's coming. 323 00:16:43,629 --> 00:16:45,840 And then finally he slid right out, 324 00:16:45,882 --> 00:16:49,927 and he was like, "Oh, my gosh! It is a beautiful boy!" 325 00:16:49,969 --> 00:16:51,888 ** 326 00:16:51,929 --> 00:16:53,389 I came home from the hospital, 327 00:16:53,431 --> 00:16:55,975 and they had moved all of my belongings 328 00:16:56,017 --> 00:16:57,727 out of my master bedroom 329 00:16:57,769 --> 00:17:00,271 into the guest bedroom. 330 00:17:00,313 --> 00:17:04,650 He was gonna go back to what was calling him. 331 00:17:04,692 --> 00:17:06,736 Kimberly. 332 00:17:08,946 --> 00:17:11,949 ** 333 00:17:11,991 --> 00:17:13,701 -I loved anything outdoors, 334 00:17:13,743 --> 00:17:18,748 whether it's hiking, camping, skiing. 335 00:17:18,790 --> 00:17:21,084 Anything outside 336 00:17:21,125 --> 00:17:24,921 was where I found my happy place. 337 00:17:24,962 --> 00:17:26,339 ** 338 00:17:26,381 --> 00:17:30,259 I originally injured my back 339 00:17:30,301 --> 00:17:33,638 because I was unloading trucks, 340 00:17:33,679 --> 00:17:36,391 and I got to where I couldn't even stand up. 341 00:17:36,432 --> 00:17:37,600 -Yeah. -I was -- 342 00:17:37,642 --> 00:17:39,394 -It was difficult for him to walk. 343 00:17:39,435 --> 00:17:42,605 -Just -- So I was going to pain management. 344 00:17:42,647 --> 00:17:44,774 The pain management handed me a card, 345 00:17:44,816 --> 00:17:48,319 and the name on the card was Christopher Duntsch. 346 00:17:48,361 --> 00:17:52,782 He was supposed to be a rock-star neurosurgeon. 347 00:17:52,824 --> 00:17:55,535 So we interviewed this Christopher Duntsch. 348 00:17:55,576 --> 00:17:57,620 -Yeah. -Boy, was he amazing. 349 00:17:57,662 --> 00:18:00,123 -He was very charming. -He sounded amazing. 350 00:18:00,164 --> 00:18:01,457 -He was. 351 00:18:01,499 --> 00:18:04,001 -"I can fix you" was, like, the magic word. 352 00:18:04,043 --> 00:18:05,378 Boom. That's all I heard. 353 00:18:05,420 --> 00:18:07,463 I thought that he was gonna be 354 00:18:07,505 --> 00:18:11,551 the man that could help me walk again. 355 00:18:11,592 --> 00:18:15,096 I remember talking to him prior to the surgery. 356 00:18:15,138 --> 00:18:17,140 There were no signs at all 357 00:18:17,181 --> 00:18:19,434 of anything being out of the ordinary. 358 00:18:19,475 --> 00:18:21,936 He seemed completely normal. 359 00:18:21,978 --> 00:18:25,189 ** 360 00:18:25,231 --> 00:18:28,776 -There was a very prominent head-and-neck general surgeon 361 00:18:28,818 --> 00:18:31,404 at Baylor Plano by the name of Bob Steckler. 362 00:18:31,446 --> 00:18:34,824 And somehow Dr. Duntsch got ahold of him 363 00:18:34,866 --> 00:18:36,659 to do one of these access procedures, 364 00:18:36,701 --> 00:18:39,662 the ones that Hoyle and I were refusing to do. 365 00:18:39,704 --> 00:18:41,497 Dr. Steckler got on the phone 366 00:18:41,539 --> 00:18:43,583 and said, like, "Randy, I don't know how to do this. 367 00:18:43,624 --> 00:18:45,668 Can you come in and help me do it?" 368 00:18:45,710 --> 00:18:48,880 I said, "Yeah, I'll help you do it." 369 00:18:48,921 --> 00:18:51,841 I work with spine surgeons every single day. 370 00:18:51,883 --> 00:18:55,011 I see bad surgeons here, but there's nothing 371 00:18:55,053 --> 00:18:57,805 that comes close to the level of incompetence 372 00:18:57,847 --> 00:19:01,225 that Christopher Duntsch exhibited. 373 00:19:01,267 --> 00:19:04,020 The case that was done on Barry Morguloff 374 00:19:04,062 --> 00:19:07,231 was a very routine case, one of the easiest things 375 00:19:07,273 --> 00:19:09,484 a neurosurgeon should be able to do. 376 00:19:09,525 --> 00:19:11,986 [ Saw buzzing ] 377 00:19:12,028 --> 00:19:15,907 Dr. Duntsch came in with his physician assistant 378 00:19:15,948 --> 00:19:19,702 and started gnawing away at the human spine. 379 00:19:19,744 --> 00:19:22,538 [ Tool whirring ] 380 00:19:22,580 --> 00:19:24,207 Floundering. I was just, like, going, 381 00:19:24,248 --> 00:19:26,459 "He doesn't even know what he's doing." 382 00:19:26,501 --> 00:19:28,461 I -- I couldn't believe it. 383 00:19:28,503 --> 00:19:31,464 [ Tool whirring ] 384 00:19:38,846 --> 00:19:48,523 ** 385 00:19:48,564 --> 00:19:51,609 -I'm very reticent to start blasting away 386 00:19:51,651 --> 00:19:54,862 in front of the nursing staff at an incompetent colleague, 387 00:19:54,904 --> 00:19:57,990 and so I tried to soften everything up 388 00:19:58,032 --> 00:20:00,243 so that no one would panic. 389 00:20:00,284 --> 00:20:02,537 I started defining the parameters 390 00:20:02,578 --> 00:20:04,205 so that he could do it properly. 391 00:20:04,247 --> 00:20:07,625 Even after I defined the regional anatomy for him, 392 00:20:07,667 --> 00:20:10,712 Dr. Duntsch still couldn't do the case right. 393 00:20:10,753 --> 00:20:13,339 ** 394 00:20:13,381 --> 00:20:17,093 -When I came out of surgery and woke up, they asked how I felt. 395 00:20:17,135 --> 00:20:21,639 I told them I felt like I got hit by a truck. 396 00:20:21,681 --> 00:20:25,810 -I checked on Mr. Morguloff in the recovery room. 397 00:20:25,852 --> 00:20:27,478 Dr. Duntsch ran past me. 398 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,731 I said, "Are you going to re-image Mr. Morguloff? 399 00:20:29,772 --> 00:20:32,233 Because he looks like he's in more pain than he was 400 00:20:32,275 --> 00:20:34,902 before he came in." 401 00:20:34,944 --> 00:20:37,864 "No." He wouldn't do it. 402 00:20:37,905 --> 00:20:40,491 -Duntsch comes out of every surgery saying it's a huge success, 403 00:20:40,533 --> 00:20:42,285 and he did that exact same thing with Barry. 404 00:20:42,326 --> 00:20:45,663 He was ignoring all of the things that Barry was saying. 405 00:20:45,705 --> 00:20:49,751 "I'm in pain. I need some help. What happened here?" 406 00:20:49,792 --> 00:20:51,586 -We're first taught to do no harm. 407 00:20:51,627 --> 00:20:53,504 We have to take the Hippocratic Oath 408 00:20:53,546 --> 00:20:55,590 when we graduate from medical school. 409 00:20:55,631 --> 00:20:58,551 And you have to do everything humanly possible 410 00:20:58,593 --> 00:21:00,511 to do right for that patient. 411 00:21:00,553 --> 00:21:04,098 And he crossed a line very early in his career. 412 00:21:04,140 --> 00:21:07,602 -Right away I was having pain in my left leg. 413 00:21:07,643 --> 00:21:11,272 Everybody said, "It's normal after-surgery stuff. 414 00:21:11,314 --> 00:21:13,316 The pain will go away." 415 00:21:13,357 --> 00:21:15,485 It just got worse. 416 00:21:15,526 --> 00:21:17,612 -And I think what's disheartening 417 00:21:17,653 --> 00:21:20,990 is Dr. Duntsch knew 418 00:21:21,032 --> 00:21:24,619 about Barry's past addiction history. 419 00:21:24,660 --> 00:21:27,080 He said, "Well, he's just fine. 420 00:21:27,121 --> 00:21:31,292 He's just overexaggerating because that's what addicts do." 421 00:21:31,334 --> 00:21:35,963 And, unfortunately, because he was a doctor, I believed him. 422 00:21:36,005 --> 00:21:40,718 ** 423 00:21:42,595 --> 00:21:45,473 -We go because it's a follow-up visit, 424 00:21:45,515 --> 00:21:47,767 and I'm telling him about my pain. 425 00:21:47,809 --> 00:21:52,730 And Dr. Duntsch was extremely inebriated. 426 00:21:52,772 --> 00:21:54,482 He was slurring his speech. 427 00:21:54,524 --> 00:21:59,487 His nurse had to take up for him 428 00:21:59,529 --> 00:22:02,990 and was explaining what he couldn't. 429 00:22:03,032 --> 00:22:06,869 And we were out of there. That was it. That was it. 430 00:22:06,911 --> 00:22:10,164 -From the time he got to Dallas, there were certainly people 431 00:22:10,206 --> 00:22:13,334 who suspected that he was using drugs and alcohol. 432 00:22:13,376 --> 00:22:15,378 Were the signs ignored? 433 00:22:15,420 --> 00:22:17,130 It's certainly plausible that people 434 00:22:17,171 --> 00:22:19,882 were either rationalizing what they were seeing 435 00:22:19,924 --> 00:22:22,760 or just sweeping it under the rug. 436 00:22:22,802 --> 00:22:30,017 ** 437 00:22:30,059 --> 00:22:32,895 -At that point in time, I went for a second opinion. 438 00:22:32,937 --> 00:22:36,691 The physician that looked at the X-ray 439 00:22:36,733 --> 00:22:40,236 told me it looked like a bomb had gone off in my back. 440 00:22:40,278 --> 00:22:42,780 ** 441 00:22:42,822 --> 00:22:47,785 And that was like an "oh..." moment. 442 00:22:47,827 --> 00:22:49,787 ** 443 00:22:49,829 --> 00:22:52,874 -With Barry, he left in bone fragments 444 00:22:52,915 --> 00:22:56,711 just kind of loose in his body touching his nerves. 445 00:22:56,753 --> 00:23:00,548 Duntsch also left hardware. 446 00:23:00,590 --> 00:23:04,552 -All that I wanted was the pain to stop. 447 00:23:04,594 --> 00:23:07,972 The only thing that makes the pain stop were meds, 448 00:23:08,014 --> 00:23:12,060 and you have to take them as prescribed. 449 00:23:12,101 --> 00:23:14,479 But as an addict, it's extremely difficult, 450 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,064 so I had some issues. 451 00:23:16,105 --> 00:23:19,067 -He'd fall asleep in the middle of eating, 452 00:23:19,108 --> 00:23:22,111 not really be able to walk to bed. 453 00:23:22,153 --> 00:23:25,114 -I was not doing well. 454 00:23:25,156 --> 00:23:29,577 I'm, you know, fighting depression. 455 00:23:29,619 --> 00:23:34,791 I went into a psychiatric facility... 456 00:23:34,832 --> 00:23:37,001 to keep from killing myself. 457 00:23:37,043 --> 00:23:40,088 ** 458 00:23:40,129 --> 00:23:42,548 It was hard. It was hard. 459 00:23:42,590 --> 00:23:46,386 ** 460 00:23:46,427 --> 00:23:47,678 I couldn't do it. 461 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,973 I tasted the barrel of a 9-millimeter. 462 00:23:51,015 --> 00:23:55,937 ** 463 00:23:55,978 --> 00:24:00,441 And it was very hard to go on, but I had a wife and child. 464 00:24:00,483 --> 00:24:03,653 ** 465 00:24:03,694 --> 00:24:06,072 -I had lost him. 466 00:24:06,114 --> 00:24:08,866 I'm angry because... 467 00:24:08,908 --> 00:24:13,579 it completely changed our life. 468 00:24:13,621 --> 00:24:18,126 We just try to get through the day. 469 00:24:18,167 --> 00:24:21,754 -That's probably what has done the most damage to my family, 470 00:24:21,796 --> 00:24:24,716 is I don't have the ability any longer 471 00:24:24,757 --> 00:24:27,802 to get out and do the things that I used to do. 472 00:24:27,844 --> 00:24:30,138 Pain rules my life. 473 00:24:30,179 --> 00:24:35,643 ** 474 00:24:35,685 --> 00:24:38,187 I wrote a letter to the medical board 475 00:24:38,229 --> 00:24:41,190 telling them the whole thing about what happened, 476 00:24:41,232 --> 00:24:44,694 this guy needed to be looked at. 477 00:24:44,736 --> 00:24:48,197 -After the Morguloff case, I was outraged. 478 00:24:48,239 --> 00:24:53,536 Christopher Duntsch can't do the simplest case in spine surgery. 479 00:24:53,578 --> 00:24:55,580 Baylor Plano's a very good hospital, 480 00:24:55,621 --> 00:24:57,498 and I had privileges there, 481 00:24:57,540 --> 00:25:00,168 and so I had some moral obligation 482 00:25:00,209 --> 00:25:02,837 to let the powers that be at that hospital 483 00:25:02,879 --> 00:25:05,423 know what was going on and told them, 484 00:25:05,465 --> 00:25:06,924 "You're gonna have problems 485 00:25:06,966 --> 00:25:10,094 when he starts taking care of really sick people." 486 00:25:10,136 --> 00:25:13,347 ** 487 00:25:13,389 --> 00:25:17,852 -Did personnel from Baylor ever ask you about Dr. Duntsch? 488 00:25:17,894 --> 00:25:20,605 -With regards to...? -Anything. 489 00:25:20,646 --> 00:25:21,939 Is he -- Is he -- 490 00:25:21,981 --> 00:25:23,608 "What do you know? Is he doing drugs? 491 00:25:23,649 --> 00:25:25,068 Do you know anything about alcohol? 492 00:25:25,109 --> 00:25:27,570 Is he being weird?" I mean, anything like that. 493 00:25:27,612 --> 00:25:30,031 -No, sir. -Never once? 494 00:25:30,073 --> 00:25:32,158 -No, sir. 495 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,368 -According to the chief of surgery, 496 00:25:34,410 --> 00:25:37,497 even though he was not having great results, 497 00:25:37,538 --> 00:25:39,707 they weren't outrageously horrible. 498 00:25:39,749 --> 00:25:41,793 They didn't have enough material, they thought, 499 00:25:41,834 --> 00:25:45,338 to sanction him or restrict his privileges. 500 00:25:45,380 --> 00:25:51,219 And so he went on to operate on his friend Jerry Summers. 501 00:25:51,260 --> 00:25:52,845 -I had a bad neck. 502 00:25:52,887 --> 00:25:54,806 I slammed into the back of a car 503 00:25:54,847 --> 00:25:57,809 and I messed my neck up. 504 00:25:57,850 --> 00:26:01,437 I thought that it was a pretty routine surgery, 505 00:26:01,479 --> 00:26:04,982 that if he did anybody's right, he'd do mine right. 506 00:26:05,024 --> 00:26:08,945 [ Indistinct conversations, monitor beeping ] 507 00:26:08,986 --> 00:26:11,239 -Dr. Duntsch thought Mr. Summers 508 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,200 had some diseased discs in his cervical spine. 509 00:26:14,242 --> 00:26:17,078 The idea was to take the diseased discs out 510 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:19,997 that were compressing the spinal cord 511 00:26:20,039 --> 00:26:23,835 and put something in their place. 512 00:26:23,876 --> 00:26:25,253 -Night before the surgery, 513 00:26:25,294 --> 00:26:28,381 probably only slept maybe four to five hours. 514 00:26:28,423 --> 00:26:32,093 I was anxious to get it fixed, of course, 515 00:26:32,135 --> 00:26:36,597 but I also was a little nervous about the surgery. 516 00:26:36,639 --> 00:26:41,602 ** 517 00:26:41,644 --> 00:26:44,063 -I didn't know Christopher Duntsch. 518 00:26:44,105 --> 00:26:49,819 I asked him, "Is there anything in particular I can provide 519 00:26:49,861 --> 00:26:54,741 for you for this surgery as your anesthesiologist?" 520 00:26:54,782 --> 00:26:56,117 And he actually said, 521 00:26:56,159 --> 00:26:59,287 "No. I could do this case with my eyes closed." 522 00:26:59,328 --> 00:27:03,124 Well, okay. Another cocky surgeon. 523 00:27:03,166 --> 00:27:07,211 The surgery is proceeding and moving ahead. 524 00:27:07,253 --> 00:27:08,629 Kimberly Morgan 525 00:27:08,671 --> 00:27:10,840 was Dr. Duntsch's first assistant 526 00:27:10,882 --> 00:27:12,300 during the procedure. 527 00:27:12,341 --> 00:27:15,178 The interactions between Kimberly Morgan 528 00:27:15,219 --> 00:27:20,308 and Christopher Duntsch were...interesting. 529 00:27:20,349 --> 00:27:26,314 The talk between the two was highly sexual. 530 00:27:26,355 --> 00:27:28,691 Christopher Duntsch would ask for a drill 531 00:27:28,733 --> 00:27:33,279 and then comment how he wanted to drill her. 532 00:27:33,321 --> 00:27:38,284 This was the most sexually inappropriate conversation 533 00:27:38,326 --> 00:27:41,621 I've ever heard in an operating room. 534 00:27:41,662 --> 00:27:43,498 [ Monitor beeping ] 535 00:27:43,539 --> 00:27:48,669 About two thirds of the way through the case, 536 00:27:48,711 --> 00:27:52,715 I start hearing suctioning blood. 537 00:27:52,757 --> 00:27:56,344 And it's hooked up to a suction canister 538 00:27:56,386 --> 00:27:59,180 which actually has a digital readout. 539 00:27:59,222 --> 00:28:04,018 I think it started off somewhere around 100 milliliters. 540 00:28:04,060 --> 00:28:07,271 For the type of surgery that Jerry Summers had, 541 00:28:07,313 --> 00:28:11,401 the typical amount of blood we lose for the entire case 542 00:28:11,442 --> 00:28:15,238 may be 50 milliliters. 543 00:28:15,279 --> 00:28:20,201 And I'm watching the digital readout get higher and higher. 544 00:28:20,243 --> 00:28:24,122 I asked Christopher Duntsch, "Is everything okay?" 545 00:28:24,163 --> 00:28:27,041 And he said, "Yes, yes. Everything is fine." 546 00:28:27,083 --> 00:28:31,087 But everything is clearly not fine. 547 00:28:31,129 --> 00:28:33,715 By the time he got it under control, 548 00:28:33,756 --> 00:28:38,302 we had lost about 1,200 milliliters -- 549 00:28:38,344 --> 00:28:42,765 about a fifth of his blood volume. 550 00:28:42,807 --> 00:28:44,475 -As soon as I woke up, 551 00:28:44,517 --> 00:28:47,770 I couldn't move my arms or my legs. 552 00:28:47,812 --> 00:28:50,398 Feels like a big pile of bricks 553 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:51,774 is on your body 554 00:28:51,816 --> 00:28:54,819 and your head's sticking out. 555 00:28:54,861 --> 00:28:57,989 I knew something was wrong. 556 00:28:58,030 --> 00:29:03,035 -You have minutes to hours to potentially reverse 557 00:29:03,077 --> 00:29:05,163 for the damage to not be permanent. 558 00:29:05,204 --> 00:29:08,916 If there's a window of time to do something, 559 00:29:08,958 --> 00:29:13,921 it's closing very, very fast. 560 00:29:13,963 --> 00:29:17,091 -And I just remember laying in the bed 561 00:29:17,133 --> 00:29:20,595 and I wanted to just go to sleep. 562 00:29:20,636 --> 00:29:23,931 -Dr. Duntsch went deeper than he should have. 563 00:29:23,973 --> 00:29:26,768 Jerry Summers was effectively decapitated 564 00:29:26,809 --> 00:29:28,728 during the operation. 565 00:29:28,770 --> 00:29:32,190 [ Monitor beeping ] 566 00:29:38,696 --> 00:29:40,740 [ Monitor beeping rapidly ] 567 00:29:40,782 --> 00:29:46,412 ** 568 00:29:46,454 --> 00:29:50,458 -I remember dying. And I remember seeing a light. 569 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:52,794 ** 570 00:29:52,835 --> 00:29:55,046 And I just remember everyone saying, 571 00:29:55,088 --> 00:29:58,466 "Open your eyes. Open your eyes." 572 00:29:58,508 --> 00:30:00,176 I was decapitated. 573 00:30:00,218 --> 00:30:06,182 ** 574 00:30:06,224 --> 00:30:08,976 There was anger towards him at first. 575 00:30:09,018 --> 00:30:11,187 I was definitely like, "[Bleep] you, Chris." 576 00:30:11,229 --> 00:30:13,523 He had paralyzed me, and my family was there. 577 00:30:13,564 --> 00:30:16,734 My friends were there. You know? 578 00:30:16,776 --> 00:30:20,947 That was a horrific experience. 579 00:30:20,988 --> 00:30:24,200 I was fighting my own battle in the hospital. 580 00:30:24,242 --> 00:30:26,994 ** 581 00:30:27,036 --> 00:30:29,539 -I actually went in to go see Jerry. 582 00:30:29,580 --> 00:30:30,998 I got, like, nauseated. 583 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,292 I had to go in the bathroom and put water in my face 584 00:30:33,334 --> 00:30:37,338 because it made me sick in my stomach to see him like that. 585 00:30:37,380 --> 00:30:39,257 I thought that I might see Chris. 586 00:30:39,298 --> 00:30:41,134 I thought maybe he would come check on Jerry, 587 00:30:41,175 --> 00:30:43,678 you know, one of his best friends. 588 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:45,847 But no sight of him at all. 589 00:30:45,888 --> 00:30:48,474 ** 590 00:30:48,516 --> 00:30:51,185 -All of the nurses and surgical techs are ready to go back in, 591 00:30:51,227 --> 00:30:52,770 but Duntsch disappears. 592 00:30:52,812 --> 00:30:58,109 He goes into this other surgery and leaves Jerry Summers. 593 00:30:58,151 --> 00:31:01,654 -The nursing staff was so disturbed 594 00:31:01,696 --> 00:31:04,323 by the conduct of the operation 595 00:31:04,365 --> 00:31:08,494 and Dr. Duntsch's behavior and lack of urgency. 596 00:31:08,536 --> 00:31:10,705 The nursing supervisor was notified. 597 00:31:10,747 --> 00:31:14,417 The CEO was notified. Everybody knew about the case. 598 00:31:14,459 --> 00:31:18,921 Dr. Duntsch, he turned his best friend into a quadriplegic. 599 00:31:18,963 --> 00:31:21,507 Mr. Summers is a young man. 600 00:31:21,549 --> 00:31:23,384 I mean, it was very disturbing to me 601 00:31:23,426 --> 00:31:25,762 and everybody else on staff there. 602 00:31:25,803 --> 00:31:27,722 ** 603 00:31:27,764 --> 00:31:29,140 Dr. Duntsch was blaming 604 00:31:29,182 --> 00:31:32,643 all this bleeding on the anesthesiologist 605 00:31:32,685 --> 00:31:37,398 for doing a rough intubation, which was just total fantasy. 606 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:39,317 ** 607 00:31:39,358 --> 00:31:42,195 -Dr. Duntsch made another comment. 608 00:31:42,236 --> 00:31:45,865 I was told that he blamed me, 609 00:31:45,907 --> 00:31:47,909 saying I made him a quadriplegic 610 00:31:47,950 --> 00:31:49,535 by intubating him. 611 00:31:49,577 --> 00:31:52,288 The way that I managed him from an anesthetic standpoint 612 00:31:52,330 --> 00:31:56,751 is above and beyond caution. 613 00:31:56,793 --> 00:31:59,545 This guy had basically 614 00:31:59,587 --> 00:32:02,882 butchered Jerry Summers' spinal cord. 615 00:32:02,924 --> 00:32:05,009 ** 616 00:32:05,051 --> 00:32:07,053 -Chris, like I say, he was a big talker. 617 00:32:07,095 --> 00:32:08,429 If something was to go wrong, 618 00:32:08,471 --> 00:32:10,640 he could talk you into thinking it wasn't wrong, 619 00:32:10,681 --> 00:32:12,517 that it wasn't his fault. 620 00:32:12,558 --> 00:32:14,227 You know. Sad situation all around. 621 00:32:14,268 --> 00:32:17,313 Makes me sick every time I think about it, you know? 622 00:32:17,355 --> 00:32:20,441 ** 623 00:32:20,483 --> 00:32:24,737 -Jerry Summers was parked in the ICU, still quadriplegic. 624 00:32:24,779 --> 00:32:26,280 His neck was so unstable, 625 00:32:26,322 --> 00:32:28,950 when the nursing staff tried to move him, 626 00:32:28,991 --> 00:32:31,577 his heart rate would go down to like 10. 627 00:32:31,619 --> 00:32:33,246 [ Flatline ] 628 00:32:33,287 --> 00:32:37,083 -He flatlined three times in a 24-hour period. 629 00:32:37,125 --> 00:32:40,211 I really did not think he was going to make it out of the hospital. 630 00:32:40,253 --> 00:32:41,838 [ Monitor beeping ] 631 00:32:41,879 --> 00:32:44,298 -I was on my back. 632 00:32:44,340 --> 00:32:47,885 You hear that beeping over and over and over again. 633 00:32:47,927 --> 00:32:49,303 [ Monitor beeping ] 634 00:32:49,345 --> 00:32:51,723 You know, they're pumping you full of drugs 635 00:32:51,764 --> 00:32:54,600 trying to get you to sleep. 636 00:32:54,642 --> 00:32:57,061 And I didn't sleep day after day 637 00:32:57,103 --> 00:32:59,939 after day after day after day after day. 638 00:32:59,981 --> 00:33:02,108 Would drive anyone insane. 639 00:33:02,150 --> 00:33:04,402 ** 640 00:33:04,444 --> 00:33:06,654 -There was no hope for him to resume getting any function 641 00:33:06,696 --> 00:33:09,532 back in his arms and legs at that time. 642 00:33:09,574 --> 00:33:11,743 ** 643 00:33:11,784 --> 00:33:14,912 -Another doctor came in and tried to repair the damage 644 00:33:14,954 --> 00:33:18,458 to Jerry's spinal cord. 645 00:33:18,499 --> 00:33:20,960 But he couldn't completely. 646 00:33:21,002 --> 00:33:24,297 And so Jerry was left unable to move. 647 00:33:24,338 --> 00:33:27,258 [ Monitor beeping ] 648 00:33:27,300 --> 00:33:29,594 -Jerry Summers, he was freaking out, 649 00:33:29,635 --> 00:33:33,431 didn't understand what had gone wrong. 650 00:33:33,473 --> 00:33:37,101 -He was screaming, and he was yelling. 651 00:33:37,143 --> 00:33:39,187 The nursing staff couldn't even move him 652 00:33:39,228 --> 00:33:42,523 for fear of his heart stopping. 653 00:33:42,565 --> 00:33:45,735 -I wasn't getting to see Chris. 654 00:33:45,777 --> 00:33:49,739 I was begging to see him and wanting to see him, 655 00:33:49,781 --> 00:33:51,783 and he wasn't around. 656 00:33:51,824 --> 00:33:53,409 ** 657 00:33:53,451 --> 00:33:56,120 I didn't have the proper care 658 00:33:56,162 --> 00:33:57,997 that I -- that I needed, 659 00:33:58,039 --> 00:34:01,167 and my voice was all I had. 660 00:34:01,209 --> 00:34:03,795 And I was screaming. 661 00:34:03,836 --> 00:34:05,755 ** 662 00:34:05,797 --> 00:34:09,008 -Jerry Summers was telling the nursing staff 663 00:34:09,050 --> 00:34:11,511 in the ICU at Baylor Plano 664 00:34:11,552 --> 00:34:15,932 that he was using drugs, cocaine, with Dr. Duntsch 665 00:34:15,973 --> 00:34:17,892 the night before the operation. 666 00:34:17,934 --> 00:34:20,686 ** 667 00:34:20,728 --> 00:34:23,147 -I was screaming that we were doing an eight-ball 668 00:34:23,189 --> 00:34:24,857 before my surgery. 669 00:34:24,899 --> 00:34:27,443 He and I both were cokeheads. 670 00:34:34,992 --> 00:34:38,996 ** 671 00:34:39,038 --> 00:34:42,250 -When I found out Jerry was paralyzed, I was shocked. 672 00:34:42,291 --> 00:34:45,336 I did not realize that anything had gone wrong. 673 00:34:45,378 --> 00:34:48,131 I heard that Jerry woke up screaming in pain... 674 00:34:48,172 --> 00:34:51,467 [ Monitor beeping rapidly ] 675 00:34:51,509 --> 00:34:53,970 ...and was yelling that him and Chris 676 00:34:54,011 --> 00:34:55,930 were out doing an eight-ball of cocaine 677 00:34:55,972 --> 00:34:57,974 the night before his surgery. 678 00:34:58,015 --> 00:35:03,604 ** 679 00:35:03,646 --> 00:35:06,607 Chris seemed very upset. 680 00:35:06,649 --> 00:35:09,527 He seemed like, "How could this happen?" 681 00:35:09,569 --> 00:35:12,739 ** 682 00:35:12,780 --> 00:35:15,992 "Why would my best friend say all these slanderous things? 683 00:35:16,033 --> 00:35:17,660 It just made me look really bad 684 00:35:17,702 --> 00:35:19,704 in front of the entire hospital." 685 00:35:19,746 --> 00:35:21,914 That's the first time I really noticed 686 00:35:21,956 --> 00:35:24,667 that something was wrong. 687 00:35:24,709 --> 00:35:26,377 ** 688 00:35:26,419 --> 00:35:30,548 -Jerry and Chris had been friends since junior high. 689 00:35:30,590 --> 00:35:33,968 They lost touch I think somewhat when Chris went off to college, 690 00:35:34,010 --> 00:35:37,430 but then he came back to Memphis, and they reconnected. 691 00:35:37,472 --> 00:35:39,348 -When we were like 19 years old, 692 00:35:39,390 --> 00:35:41,559 I remember we were driving down the road, 693 00:35:41,601 --> 00:35:43,728 and he was like, "You want to take a hit of acid?" 694 00:35:43,770 --> 00:35:46,022 And I was like, "Yeah, I'll take a hit of acid with you." 695 00:35:46,064 --> 00:35:49,442 We popped, hit acid. 696 00:35:49,484 --> 00:35:53,321 I had never taken a hit of acid before. 697 00:35:53,362 --> 00:35:56,699 Christopher Duntsch gave me my first hit of acid. 698 00:35:56,741 --> 00:35:59,285 -Jerry had a reputation here in town. I'll tell you that. 699 00:35:59,327 --> 00:36:02,914 He took things, you know, to that nth degree. 700 00:36:02,955 --> 00:36:05,583 I mean, he didn't know when to -- when to stop. 701 00:36:05,625 --> 00:36:09,045 -Chris and Jerry were the party boys. 702 00:36:09,087 --> 00:36:13,925 -Jerry was known as a big-time drug dealer in town. 703 00:36:13,966 --> 00:36:15,468 -Chris was very intrigued 704 00:36:15,510 --> 00:36:17,720 with a lot of the stuff going on in my life. 705 00:36:17,762 --> 00:36:20,556 I would say that he and I both were cokeheads. 706 00:36:20,598 --> 00:36:24,060 His first drug of choice would be cocaine. 707 00:36:24,102 --> 00:36:26,479 -When he was doing his residency and things like that, 708 00:36:26,521 --> 00:36:28,606 and the research, I believe that's when he took it 709 00:36:28,648 --> 00:36:31,401 to another level, as far as partying. 710 00:36:46,833 --> 00:36:48,292 ** 711 00:36:48,334 --> 00:36:49,794 -I told my wife 712 00:36:49,836 --> 00:36:51,796 plenty of years before he became a neurosurgeon 713 00:36:51,838 --> 00:36:55,299 that I wouldn't let him operate on me or anybody in my family. 714 00:36:55,341 --> 00:36:57,260 I don't want a doctor that's staying up 715 00:36:57,301 --> 00:36:59,262 partying and going to strip clubs 716 00:36:59,303 --> 00:37:01,222 and you hear doing a lot of drugs 717 00:37:01,264 --> 00:37:03,516 operating on me. 718 00:37:15,069 --> 00:37:20,366 -I was given a deposition of one of Jerry's old girlfriends. 719 00:37:20,408 --> 00:37:24,328 And she described a lot of the party life 720 00:37:24,370 --> 00:37:27,999 that Chris and Jerry had together in Memphis. 721 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:32,003 -How long did this drug party go on that night? 722 00:37:32,045 --> 00:37:33,963 -All night to the next day. 723 00:37:34,005 --> 00:37:35,673 -Okay. Until the sun came up? 724 00:37:35,715 --> 00:37:37,508 -Well beyond the sun came up, 725 00:37:37,550 --> 00:37:41,596 'cause Chris had to go to work the next day, and he went. 726 00:37:41,637 --> 00:37:43,473 ** 727 00:37:43,514 --> 00:37:46,267 -Now, why does that stick out in your mind 728 00:37:46,309 --> 00:37:48,686 that he was leaving this all-night drug party 729 00:37:48,728 --> 00:37:52,523 with his lab coat on to go work at the children's hospital? 730 00:37:52,565 --> 00:37:55,276 -Because most people would call in. 731 00:37:55,318 --> 00:37:57,737 After you spend a night using cocaine, 732 00:37:57,779 --> 00:38:00,448 most people become paranoid and want to stay in the house, 733 00:38:00,490 --> 00:38:05,161 and he was totally fine going to work. 734 00:38:05,203 --> 00:38:08,873 -Jerry says, "We did cocaine the night before the surgery." 735 00:38:08,915 --> 00:38:13,544 This then causes the hospital to launch a big investigation 736 00:38:13,586 --> 00:38:15,338 into what happened 737 00:38:15,380 --> 00:38:18,883 and Chris' competence as a surgeon. 738 00:38:18,925 --> 00:38:20,218 ** 739 00:38:20,259 --> 00:38:22,011 -There was enough evidence there 740 00:38:22,053 --> 00:38:24,889 to get him removed from staff. 741 00:38:24,931 --> 00:38:28,142 But Baylor Plano suspended Dr. Duntsch 742 00:38:28,184 --> 00:38:31,896 for approximately three weeks. 743 00:38:31,938 --> 00:38:34,732 -Jerry made the allegation about the drugs 744 00:38:34,774 --> 00:38:36,901 about four days after his surgery. 745 00:38:36,943 --> 00:38:39,362 So Duntsch was sent by the hospital 746 00:38:39,404 --> 00:38:41,823 to get drug-tested that day. 747 00:38:41,864 --> 00:38:43,658 -Did anybody else, to your understanding, 748 00:38:43,699 --> 00:38:46,119 submit to a urine test? -Dr. Duntsch. 749 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,455 -Do you know if he ever submitted a urine sample? 750 00:38:49,497 --> 00:38:51,457 -Yes, he did. 751 00:38:51,499 --> 00:38:55,878 -The results of that is that it's negative. 752 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:58,297 -When I said that we were doing an eight-ball 753 00:38:58,339 --> 00:39:02,051 before the surgery, that was totally untrue. 754 00:39:02,093 --> 00:39:05,096 I totally said it just because he wasn't around 755 00:39:05,138 --> 00:39:07,890 and I was yelling and screaming for my doctor and -- 756 00:39:07,932 --> 00:39:11,769 There was no drug use the night before the surgery. 757 00:39:11,811 --> 00:39:15,064 -The night before Jerry's surgery, Chris was at home. 758 00:39:15,106 --> 00:39:17,066 That night, I don't think there was any chance 759 00:39:17,108 --> 00:39:19,485 he was doing an eight-ball of cocaine with Jerry. 760 00:39:19,527 --> 00:39:21,446 Woman on P.A.: Dr. Davis, telephone, please. 761 00:39:21,487 --> 00:39:23,781 -Duntsch was sent to see a counselor 762 00:39:23,823 --> 00:39:26,534 to be evaluated for his mental-health fitness 763 00:39:26,576 --> 00:39:29,287 and also to see if there was any concerns 764 00:39:29,328 --> 00:39:30,663 related to drug or alcohol, 765 00:39:30,705 --> 00:39:34,292 and that counselor ultimately cleared him. 766 00:39:34,333 --> 00:39:37,628 -I called the chief of surgery back up and yelled at him. 767 00:39:37,670 --> 00:39:40,173 I predicted this outcome a month ago. 768 00:39:40,214 --> 00:39:41,591 [ Monitor beeping ] 769 00:39:41,632 --> 00:39:44,135 Christopher Duntsch -- he needs to be stopped 770 00:39:44,177 --> 00:39:47,055 at this institution immediately. 771 00:39:47,096 --> 00:39:49,265 They wanted to give him another chance, 772 00:39:49,307 --> 00:39:50,892 and they wanted him to continue on 773 00:39:50,933 --> 00:39:54,020 practicing neurosurgery at their hospital. 774 00:39:54,062 --> 00:39:56,272 [ Monitor beeping ] 775 00:39:56,314 --> 00:40:01,652 ** 776 00:40:01,694 --> 00:40:06,699 By the winter of 2012, at least five spine surgeons 777 00:40:06,741 --> 00:40:09,744 had called the Texas Medical Board. 778 00:40:09,786 --> 00:40:12,955 Baylor Plano should have called the Texas Medical Board. 779 00:40:12,997 --> 00:40:16,084 ** 780 00:40:16,125 --> 00:40:17,752 -Had heard through the grapevine 781 00:40:17,794 --> 00:40:19,837 that more people were being injured. 782 00:40:19,879 --> 00:40:22,006 I called the medical board back. 783 00:40:22,048 --> 00:40:25,176 "Hey! What's the deal with my case?!" 784 00:40:25,218 --> 00:40:28,429 "We're still investigating. We can't tell you a thing." 785 00:40:28,471 --> 00:40:30,807 They didn't really seem to care. 786 00:40:30,848 --> 00:40:36,771 ** 787 00:40:36,813 --> 00:40:39,107 -The medical board will tell you 788 00:40:39,148 --> 00:40:41,109 there's kind of a hierarchy. 789 00:40:41,150 --> 00:40:44,654 A patient making a complaint about a doctor? 790 00:40:44,695 --> 00:40:46,155 Bottom of the barrel. 791 00:40:46,197 --> 00:40:49,492 A doctor making a complaint about another doctor? 792 00:40:49,534 --> 00:40:51,202 Well, maybe in the middle somewhere. 793 00:40:51,244 --> 00:40:54,539 A hospital making a complaint to the medical board 794 00:40:54,580 --> 00:40:56,207 about one of their doctors? 795 00:40:56,249 --> 00:41:00,712 Four-alarm fire, urgent, most highest priority. 796 00:41:00,753 --> 00:41:05,299 But Baylor Plano did not report Dr. Duntsch. 797 00:41:05,341 --> 00:41:11,764 ** 798 00:41:11,806 --> 00:41:15,184 I do not exactly what happened 799 00:41:15,226 --> 00:41:17,979 in the C-suites at Baylor Plano, 800 00:41:18,020 --> 00:41:20,815 but business and economic and legal decisions were made 801 00:41:20,857 --> 00:41:25,278 which clearly put Dr. Duntsch's career 802 00:41:25,319 --> 00:41:29,031 and Dr. Duntsch's interests over the patients' interests. 803 00:41:29,073 --> 00:41:33,119 The imaging tests we did on Mr. Summers were so clear. 804 00:41:33,161 --> 00:41:35,079 It was so clear that the operation 805 00:41:35,121 --> 00:41:38,416 was a completely horrendous procedure. 806 00:41:38,458 --> 00:41:40,668 ** 807 00:41:40,710 --> 00:41:43,212 -Before my surgery, I didn't know of 808 00:41:43,254 --> 00:41:47,133 any bad outcomes that he had had. 809 00:41:47,175 --> 00:41:50,762 Thinking that I was going to be in the hospital maybe two days, 810 00:41:50,803 --> 00:41:53,639 and Chris said I'd be back at his house 811 00:41:53,681 --> 00:41:57,643 and he'd be taking care of me. 812 00:41:57,685 --> 00:42:00,980 And then a house got dropped on me. 813 00:42:01,022 --> 00:42:07,528 ** 814 00:42:07,570 --> 00:42:09,238 -Three weeks after Jerry's surgery, 815 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:11,449 Christopher Duntsch goes back to the hospital 816 00:42:11,491 --> 00:42:14,619 saying, "Hey, I've got more patients I need to operate on. 817 00:42:14,660 --> 00:42:16,454 When are you guys going to let me start up again?" 818 00:42:16,496 --> 00:42:18,790 So the hospital was kind of feeling a lot of pressure, 819 00:42:18,831 --> 00:42:22,794 I think, at this point to allow Duntsch to come back in. 820 00:42:22,835 --> 00:42:24,879 -They determine that Chris Duntsch 821 00:42:24,921 --> 00:42:26,881 is okay to start operating again, 822 00:42:26,923 --> 00:42:30,259 but he needs to start with just smaller, minor, 823 00:42:30,301 --> 00:42:32,929 day-surgery type operations. 824 00:42:32,970 --> 00:42:36,474 And his very next patient is Kellie Martin. 825 00:42:36,516 --> 00:42:44,982 ** 826 00:42:45,024 --> 00:42:47,276 -Unfortunately, things go horribly wrong 827 00:42:47,318 --> 00:42:49,237 in Kellie's surgery. 828 00:42:49,278 --> 00:42:51,072 [ Monitor beeping ] 829 00:42:56,619 --> 00:42:58,621 [ Monitor beeping ] 830 00:42:58,663 --> 00:43:01,624 ** 831 00:43:01,666 --> 00:43:03,626 -Baylor allows Christopher Duntsch 832 00:43:03,668 --> 00:43:06,713 to begin operating again, 833 00:43:06,754 --> 00:43:10,883 and his very first patient is Kellie Martin. 834 00:43:10,925 --> 00:43:13,469 Kellie's surgery is very simple. 835 00:43:13,511 --> 00:43:15,179 ** 836 00:43:15,221 --> 00:43:17,181 -We're getting ready for Christmas 837 00:43:17,223 --> 00:43:19,851 and getting all the decorations setup. 838 00:43:19,892 --> 00:43:22,478 And we usually do that as a family. 839 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:23,813 We have a small family, 840 00:43:23,855 --> 00:43:27,650 but we spend a lot of time together. 841 00:43:27,692 --> 00:43:31,028 And my mother would decorate the house. 842 00:43:31,070 --> 00:43:34,240 Christmas was definitely her favorite. 843 00:43:34,282 --> 00:43:36,367 ** 844 00:43:36,409 --> 00:43:37,827 -Her and my dad were taking 845 00:43:37,869 --> 00:43:39,704 Christmas decorations down from the attic, 846 00:43:39,746 --> 00:43:43,499 and she fell down and she hurt her back. 847 00:43:43,541 --> 00:43:46,085 -But Kellie's pain continued after the -- the fall. 848 00:43:46,127 --> 00:43:48,046 Kept going on, and I could tell 849 00:43:48,087 --> 00:43:50,006 some days she could do chores around the house 850 00:43:50,048 --> 00:43:52,967 and some days she couldn't get in and out of bed. 851 00:43:53,009 --> 00:43:56,012 -It was actually affecting her daily life. 852 00:43:56,054 --> 00:43:57,972 ** 853 00:43:58,014 --> 00:44:01,476 So, my mother, after she fell, she did go to our family doctor. 854 00:44:01,517 --> 00:44:06,314 -Gave us this card, and it said "Dr. Christopher Duntsch." 855 00:44:06,355 --> 00:44:09,025 -When you hear the schools that he went to 856 00:44:09,067 --> 00:44:11,861 and, um, how prestigious it was 857 00:44:11,903 --> 00:44:14,072 to be able to have him as your physician, 858 00:44:14,113 --> 00:44:16,324 you felt really lucky to be able to get in. 859 00:44:16,365 --> 00:44:19,869 -Dr. Duntsch seemed very knowledgeable. 860 00:44:19,911 --> 00:44:22,997 -He came across very passionate about helping people 861 00:44:23,039 --> 00:44:25,041 and wanting to make them feel better. 862 00:44:25,083 --> 00:44:27,877 And he said, "I completely understand 863 00:44:27,919 --> 00:44:31,130 what you're going through. I know exactly how to fix it." 864 00:44:31,172 --> 00:44:35,551 ** 865 00:44:35,593 --> 00:44:39,138 -On the day of the surgery, Kellie, she was concerned. 866 00:44:39,180 --> 00:44:41,891 You could see it on her face a little bit. 867 00:44:41,933 --> 00:44:44,894 And -- But, you know, I was there to reassure her, 868 00:44:44,936 --> 00:44:47,188 and I kissed her and I told her, 869 00:44:47,230 --> 00:44:50,733 "I love you, and I'll see you in an hour." 870 00:44:50,775 --> 00:44:52,360 ** 871 00:44:52,402 --> 00:44:54,904 -My mother's surgery there was a nerve 872 00:44:54,946 --> 00:44:57,615 that was touching one of the discs. 873 00:44:57,657 --> 00:45:01,577 This surgery was explained to us to be in and out in a day, 874 00:45:01,619 --> 00:45:04,539 almost so routine like a cavity. 875 00:45:04,580 --> 00:45:07,041 [ Monitor beeping ] 876 00:45:07,083 --> 00:45:08,626 During my mother's surgery, 877 00:45:08,668 --> 00:45:12,088 Dr. Duntsch came out several times, 878 00:45:12,130 --> 00:45:14,882 explained that it was going fine, 879 00:45:14,924 --> 00:45:17,593 and then he said that my mother's having issues 880 00:45:17,635 --> 00:45:19,846 coming out of the anesthesia 881 00:45:19,887 --> 00:45:23,057 and, "We might keep her here for a while longer." 882 00:45:23,099 --> 00:45:28,396 He doesn't sound concerned, but he doesn't sound cheerful. 883 00:45:28,438 --> 00:45:32,734 We're waiting in the waiting room over an hour. 884 00:45:32,775 --> 00:45:34,819 So I went over to the desk and asked, 885 00:45:34,861 --> 00:45:36,988 "Can I get an update on Kellie Martin?" 886 00:45:37,029 --> 00:45:38,990 And the nurse went over and looked at her computer 887 00:45:39,031 --> 00:45:42,243 and said, "Oh, she's actually on a different floor. 888 00:45:42,285 --> 00:45:44,328 She's in ICU." 889 00:45:44,370 --> 00:45:46,706 And I said, "What?!" 890 00:45:46,748 --> 00:45:48,374 We went up there. 891 00:45:48,416 --> 00:45:52,378 And I said, "I need an update on my mother, Kellie Martin." 892 00:45:52,420 --> 00:45:56,758 And when I saw the nurse's face, we knew something was wrong. 893 00:45:56,799 --> 00:45:59,135 [ Monitor beeping ] 894 00:45:59,177 --> 00:46:01,429 -The anesthesiologist kept saying, you know, 895 00:46:01,471 --> 00:46:03,806 "I can't get her blood pressure under control. 896 00:46:03,848 --> 00:46:05,933 What's going on? Do you have bleeding?" 897 00:46:05,975 --> 00:46:08,770 And Duntsch was saying, "No, I don't have any bleeding. 898 00:46:08,811 --> 00:46:10,188 Everything's fine." 899 00:46:10,229 --> 00:46:12,023 The anesthesiologist told Duntsch, 900 00:46:12,065 --> 00:46:14,192 "We've got to shut this down. You've got to close her up. 901 00:46:14,233 --> 00:46:17,236 We've got to get her out of here. Something is wrong." 902 00:46:17,278 --> 00:46:21,365 Duntsch does close her up. They come out of the surgery. 903 00:46:21,407 --> 00:46:25,703 And as they're waking Kellie up, she begins screaming. 904 00:46:25,745 --> 00:46:30,917 ** 905 00:46:30,958 --> 00:46:32,335 -The nursing staff tells me 906 00:46:32,377 --> 00:46:35,838 that her legs were blue and lifeless 907 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:38,341 from the mid-thigh down. 908 00:46:38,383 --> 00:46:41,677 -She's grabbing at the legs and clawing them. 909 00:46:41,719 --> 00:46:43,846 The ICU staff is so alarmed by this 910 00:46:43,888 --> 00:46:46,140 that they re-intubate her. They put her back under. 911 00:46:46,182 --> 00:46:48,434 They think, "We're going back into surgery." 912 00:46:48,476 --> 00:46:50,436 But that's not what happens. 913 00:46:50,478 --> 00:46:54,023 -I just happened to be up in the intensive care unit. 914 00:46:54,065 --> 00:46:56,359 I saw Christopher Duntsch 915 00:46:56,401 --> 00:47:01,948 in front of the room of another ICU patient. 916 00:47:01,989 --> 00:47:04,367 All of the rapid-response team 917 00:47:04,409 --> 00:47:06,536 and the intensive-care unit doctors 918 00:47:06,577 --> 00:47:08,371 were all rushing down there. 919 00:47:08,413 --> 00:47:12,041 There's something terrible going on in that room. 920 00:47:12,083 --> 00:47:15,378 -They begin working on her. 921 00:47:15,420 --> 00:47:19,006 Kellie Martin ends up coding right there. 922 00:47:19,048 --> 00:47:22,927 -Christopher Duntsch is calmly typing a note. 923 00:47:22,969 --> 00:47:27,056 His patient is coding like a few feet from him, 924 00:47:27,098 --> 00:47:30,768 and he's totally unperturbed. 925 00:47:30,810 --> 00:47:35,022 It's a picture I think that I'll always have in my mind. 926 00:47:35,064 --> 00:47:37,191 I'll never forget it. 927 00:47:37,233 --> 00:47:40,027 ** 928 00:47:40,069 --> 00:47:42,947 [ Monitor beeping ] 929 00:47:42,989 --> 00:47:44,907 [ Monitor beeping rapidly ] 930 00:47:44,949 --> 00:47:48,161 [ Flatline ]