1 00:00:07,759 --> 00:00:16,768 ** 2 00:00:16,809 --> 00:00:25,777 ** 3 00:00:25,818 --> 00:00:34,869 ** 4 00:00:34,911 --> 00:00:43,920 ** 5 00:00:43,961 --> 00:00:52,762 ** 6 00:00:52,804 --> 00:00:56,224 -At this point, Duntsch has had 20 surgeries at Baylor Plano. 7 00:00:56,265 --> 00:00:59,852 Most of them have had bad outcomes. 8 00:00:59,894 --> 00:01:01,979 He had hurt a lot of people. 9 00:01:02,021 --> 00:01:05,608 There was one quadriplegic. 10 00:01:05,650 --> 00:01:07,568 But Kellie Martin's surgery 11 00:01:07,610 --> 00:01:11,572 raises a lot of red flags for Baylor. 12 00:01:11,614 --> 00:01:14,325 This was supposed to be a really simple surgery, 13 00:01:14,367 --> 00:01:16,869 but things go horribly wrong. 14 00:01:16,911 --> 00:01:19,622 [ Monitor beeping, respirator hissing ] 15 00:01:19,664 --> 00:01:22,792 Kellie Martin had so much blood loss during her surgery 16 00:01:22,834 --> 00:01:25,086 that her body was not able to keep up with it. 17 00:01:25,128 --> 00:01:28,464 They worked on her for hours trying to save her life, 18 00:01:28,506 --> 00:01:30,967 and ultimately she ended up flatlining. 19 00:01:31,008 --> 00:01:33,970 [ Monitor flatlining ] 20 00:01:34,011 --> 00:01:35,680 Kellie Martin dies. 21 00:01:35,722 --> 00:01:38,808 ** 22 00:01:38,850 --> 00:01:41,269 But Kellie Martin shouldn't have died. 23 00:01:42,937 --> 00:01:47,400 The ICU staff are still haunted by her death. 24 00:01:50,737 --> 00:01:53,406 -He entered the room with two other doctors. 25 00:01:53,448 --> 00:01:55,074 Dr. Duntsch was looking at the floor 26 00:01:55,116 --> 00:01:56,743 the entire time, 27 00:01:56,784 --> 00:01:59,078 and it was the pulmonologist that said, 28 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,749 "We're so sorry, but Kellie is no longer with us." 29 00:02:02,790 --> 00:02:09,422 ** 30 00:02:09,464 --> 00:02:12,717 -And that's when it hit. 31 00:02:12,759 --> 00:02:13,634 [ Sniffles ] 32 00:02:13,676 --> 00:02:17,096 [ Voice breaking ] It was real. 33 00:02:17,138 --> 00:02:19,640 And... 34 00:02:19,682 --> 00:02:22,727 I just knew that my world just -- 35 00:02:22,769 --> 00:02:24,771 I just -- my world just turned upside down. 36 00:02:24,812 --> 00:02:26,522 My loss. 37 00:02:28,441 --> 00:02:30,526 And then that's when my girls lost it, too. 38 00:02:30,568 --> 00:02:35,198 -It was such a slow-motion feeling of, 39 00:02:35,239 --> 00:02:37,617 "My mom is gone. 40 00:02:37,658 --> 00:02:41,079 This person, my best friend, the rock of our family, 41 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,873 the center of our universe... 42 00:02:43,915 --> 00:02:45,625 she's gone! 43 00:02:45,666 --> 00:02:48,252 And I'm never going to get to talk to her again!" 44 00:02:48,294 --> 00:02:54,550 ** 45 00:02:54,592 --> 00:02:57,178 -I stood up and I literally was drilling them, 46 00:02:57,220 --> 00:02:58,679 question after question, 47 00:02:58,721 --> 00:03:01,557 lunging at them in so much frustration. 48 00:03:01,599 --> 00:03:03,768 "What do you mean she's no longer with us? 49 00:03:03,810 --> 00:03:06,229 We've been here for hours, and you keep telling me 50 00:03:06,270 --> 00:03:08,189 that we're going to see her soon!" 51 00:03:08,231 --> 00:03:11,943 And Dr. Duntsch wasn't answering any of these questions. 52 00:03:11,984 --> 00:03:16,739 He continued to just stare at the floor. 53 00:03:16,781 --> 00:03:20,576 And I said, "What happened? What did you do to my mother?" 54 00:03:20,618 --> 00:03:23,996 And he just stood there, and he said nothing. 55 00:03:25,581 --> 00:03:27,625 -I was shocked he was operating on Kellie Martin. 56 00:03:27,667 --> 00:03:29,961 I was shocked he was operating on anybody. 57 00:03:30,002 --> 00:03:33,381 -I was told that he blamed Kellie Martin's death 58 00:03:33,423 --> 00:03:37,802 on an abnormal reaction to fentanyl. 59 00:03:37,844 --> 00:03:42,974 Nothing about what happened to Kellie Martin 60 00:03:43,015 --> 00:03:44,559 in the intensive care unit 61 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,019 or after she coded or in the operating room -- 62 00:03:47,061 --> 00:03:49,147 I mean, none of that has anything to do 63 00:03:49,188 --> 00:03:51,816 with a reaction to... 64 00:03:51,858 --> 00:03:53,484 to a drug. 65 00:03:53,526 --> 00:03:55,820 -When someone dies suddenly in a hospital, 66 00:03:55,862 --> 00:03:59,657 an autopsy has to be performed. 67 00:03:59,699 --> 00:04:03,453 -The autopsy demonstrated 68 00:04:03,494 --> 00:04:07,165 that he had penetrated through a space 69 00:04:07,206 --> 00:04:09,208 where he shouldn't be 70 00:04:09,250 --> 00:04:11,252 and lacerated a vein, 71 00:04:11,294 --> 00:04:13,880 and the patient bled 72 00:04:13,921 --> 00:04:19,844 in a space where the surgeon would not see it. 73 00:04:19,886 --> 00:04:23,181 -He was operating at least an inch to the side, 74 00:04:23,222 --> 00:04:24,390 three inches too deep, 75 00:04:24,432 --> 00:04:27,018 which should never have occurred. 76 00:04:27,060 --> 00:04:29,020 -She bled to death. 77 00:04:29,062 --> 00:04:32,690 ** 78 00:04:32,732 --> 00:04:35,693 -My mother's last moments on earth, 79 00:04:35,735 --> 00:04:38,321 she was bleeding to death? 80 00:04:38,362 --> 00:04:40,073 I mean, we're in a hospital. 81 00:04:40,114 --> 00:04:43,367 Can't they stitch her up or find the wound 82 00:04:43,409 --> 00:04:47,038 and, you know, stop the bleeding? 83 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:52,085 Our family of four was extremely close. 84 00:04:52,126 --> 00:04:54,045 At this point in time, we're still trying to wrap 85 00:04:54,087 --> 00:04:58,716 our heads around the fact that my mother is no longer with us. 86 00:04:58,758 --> 00:05:00,843 But we did decide to get an attorney. 87 00:05:00,885 --> 00:05:05,098 I thought he was going to ask us what happened, the situation, 88 00:05:05,139 --> 00:05:08,309 but he started off the conversation by saying, 89 00:05:08,351 --> 00:05:12,772 "Did you know that he has hurt people in the past?" 90 00:05:12,814 --> 00:05:16,275 And there was a shock on obviously all of our faces, 91 00:05:16,317 --> 00:05:17,735 and I said, "What do you mean?" 92 00:05:17,777 --> 00:05:21,531 And then he told us the case of Jerry Summers. 93 00:05:23,574 --> 00:05:27,036 -I heard that somebody died after me. 94 00:05:27,078 --> 00:05:28,746 The next patient died. 95 00:05:28,788 --> 00:05:31,624 And I got a couple of phone calls with Chris, 96 00:05:31,666 --> 00:05:33,710 and it was just as upbeat as ever. 97 00:05:33,751 --> 00:05:37,463 He's going to be successful and he was still on track. 98 00:05:37,505 --> 00:05:41,259 In his mind, he was still the shit. 99 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:45,555 But he never made mention of anybody being hurt or anything. 100 00:05:47,932 --> 00:05:50,935 -If Baylor had stopped him 101 00:05:50,977 --> 00:05:53,604 after what happened with Jerry Summers, 102 00:05:53,646 --> 00:05:57,900 Kellie Martin would still be alive. 103 00:05:57,942 --> 00:05:59,944 -Spine surgeries are very common. 104 00:05:59,986 --> 00:06:01,779 Most everybody knows somebody that's had their back 105 00:06:01,821 --> 00:06:03,197 or their neck operated on. 106 00:06:03,239 --> 00:06:07,285 Yes, complications can occur in some instances, 107 00:06:07,326 --> 00:06:09,996 but throughout the United States and the world, 108 00:06:10,037 --> 00:06:14,542 neck and back surgeries are performed all day, every day. 109 00:06:14,584 --> 00:06:17,295 Pretty simple, straightforward procedures. 110 00:06:17,336 --> 00:06:19,839 -This surgery was a simple surgery. 111 00:06:19,881 --> 00:06:21,340 Duntsch, of course, botched it. 112 00:06:21,382 --> 00:06:24,260 When you can't control somebody's blood pressure, 113 00:06:24,302 --> 00:06:25,595 you have bleeding. 114 00:06:25,636 --> 00:06:27,930 The first thing you look for is bleeding. 115 00:06:27,972 --> 00:06:31,851 The second thing you look for is bleeding. 116 00:06:31,893 --> 00:06:35,521 -There was a probability that he had penetrated through, 117 00:06:35,563 --> 00:06:37,982 which is, it's a bad misadventure, 118 00:06:38,024 --> 00:06:40,985 but that's not malpractice. 119 00:06:41,027 --> 00:06:45,990 The malpractice is not knowing that that can happen. 120 00:06:46,032 --> 00:06:53,289 ** 121 00:06:53,331 --> 00:06:56,125 -It was clear he didn't know what he was doing. 122 00:06:56,167 --> 00:06:58,211 He should not have been operating on Kellie Martin. 123 00:06:58,252 --> 00:07:00,088 Or if he was operating on Kellie Martin, 124 00:07:00,129 --> 00:07:03,341 he needed to have another spinal surgeon helping him do the case 125 00:07:03,383 --> 00:07:05,468 and watching every move he made. 126 00:07:05,510 --> 00:07:08,846 -The mistakes that he made in his short time at Baylor 127 00:07:08,888 --> 00:07:12,892 are mistakes that most surgeons never make. 128 00:07:14,852 --> 00:07:16,396 -We all have complications. 129 00:07:16,437 --> 00:07:18,189 If you don't have complications, you're not operating enough. 130 00:07:18,231 --> 00:07:20,358 I mean, they take years off your life, and they should, 131 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,403 because you need to be worried about how your patients do 132 00:07:23,444 --> 00:07:25,029 or you shouldn't be in the game. 133 00:07:25,071 --> 00:07:28,324 -Any normal physician would have stopped operating right away. 134 00:07:28,366 --> 00:07:29,700 But not Duntsch. 135 00:07:29,742 --> 00:07:33,704 In no way did this deter or stop Duntsch at all. 136 00:07:33,746 --> 00:07:35,248 -I haven't seen Christopher Duntsch 137 00:07:35,289 --> 00:07:36,707 as a patient, 138 00:07:36,749 --> 00:07:38,793 but the thing that really, to me, 139 00:07:38,835 --> 00:07:40,962 speaks to psychopathy 140 00:07:41,003 --> 00:07:45,717 is how pervasive and consistent his lack of remorse was. 141 00:07:45,758 --> 00:07:52,306 He was almost unaffected by the death of a patient. 142 00:07:52,348 --> 00:07:54,142 -I picked up the phone and called the CEO 143 00:07:54,183 --> 00:07:56,978 at Baylor Plano, and I said, "Listen, I've never done this, 144 00:07:57,019 --> 00:07:59,605 I've never called a CEO to report another surgeon, 145 00:07:59,647 --> 00:08:00,815 but something's got to be done. 146 00:08:00,857 --> 00:08:02,150 This guy's dangerous." 147 00:08:02,191 --> 00:08:03,943 And all she told me was, "Dr. Hoyle, 148 00:08:03,985 --> 00:08:06,821 I can't go into it with you because of HIPAA violations, 149 00:08:06,863 --> 00:08:08,906 but I can tell you that Dr. Duntsch 150 00:08:08,948 --> 00:08:11,784 resigned his privileges today." 151 00:08:11,826 --> 00:08:15,455 -After Kellie Martin's untimely death, 152 00:08:15,496 --> 00:08:19,250 Baylor Plano removed Christopher Duntsch's privileges 153 00:08:19,292 --> 00:08:21,085 at the facility, so Christopher Duntsch 154 00:08:21,127 --> 00:08:24,297 could no longer operate or round on patients there. 155 00:08:24,338 --> 00:08:28,342 -Duntsch has a real tendency to threaten litigation. 156 00:08:28,384 --> 00:08:31,554 Duntsch brought in his lawyers right away to help negotiate 157 00:08:31,596 --> 00:08:34,307 his leaving Baylor Plano. 158 00:08:34,348 --> 00:08:37,268 -Let's say, in this case, if Dr. Duntsch had sued 159 00:08:37,310 --> 00:08:40,063 and had claimed that they ruined his career 160 00:08:40,104 --> 00:08:43,441 because they wrongfully terminated his privileges -- 161 00:08:43,483 --> 00:08:46,694 let's say Dr. Duntsch, a 40-year-old neurosurgeon 162 00:08:46,736 --> 00:08:48,237 at the beginning of his career, 163 00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:51,657 he could earn a million, two million dollars a year, 164 00:08:51,699 --> 00:08:53,242 which is conservative. 165 00:08:53,284 --> 00:08:56,871 And let's say he would have a 25-year career. 166 00:08:56,913 --> 00:09:00,333 If Dr. Duntsch had been successful with his lawsuit, 167 00:09:00,374 --> 00:09:03,002 then the hospital could have been liable for 168 00:09:03,044 --> 00:09:06,672 $25 million, $40 million. 169 00:09:08,257 --> 00:09:10,468 -They knew that he would sue them. 170 00:09:10,510 --> 00:09:14,639 The hospital ended up making a deal with him. 171 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:16,265 -Baylor ultimately doesn't fire him. 172 00:09:16,307 --> 00:09:18,976 They allow him to resign, and as part of that, 173 00:09:19,018 --> 00:09:21,229 Duntsch's lawyers negotiated a letter 174 00:09:21,270 --> 00:09:23,481 where it's basically a clearance letter 175 00:09:23,523 --> 00:09:25,233 saying that Duntsch has resigned 176 00:09:25,274 --> 00:09:29,112 and was not under any investigations when he resigned. 177 00:09:29,153 --> 00:09:30,905 There's a national data bank 178 00:09:30,947 --> 00:09:33,866 that if Duntsch had resigned under investigation 179 00:09:33,908 --> 00:09:36,828 or was basically fired from the hospital, 180 00:09:36,869 --> 00:09:38,371 then it would have been reported 181 00:09:38,413 --> 00:09:41,499 and it would have been a mark on Duntsch's record. 182 00:09:41,541 --> 00:09:44,711 -They did not report him to the National Practitioner Data Bank, 183 00:09:44,752 --> 00:09:48,339 and they did not report him to the state medical board. 184 00:09:48,381 --> 00:09:53,678 ** 185 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,346 -Duntsch, when he leaves Baylor Plano, 186 00:09:55,388 --> 00:09:59,016 looks on paper like he's still a fine surgeon 187 00:09:59,058 --> 00:10:02,478 and he's able to move on to other hospitals. 188 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:05,773 -The next time that we spoke to our attorney, 189 00:10:05,815 --> 00:10:10,027 he had said that Dr. Duntsch has actually left the hospital 190 00:10:10,069 --> 00:10:12,488 where he had performed my mother's surgery 191 00:10:12,530 --> 00:10:16,909 and is now performing at another hospital in Dallas. 192 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:20,663 How could he get references? 193 00:10:20,705 --> 00:10:23,207 How could he go into an interview 194 00:10:23,249 --> 00:10:26,377 and another hospital take him on as a surgeon? 195 00:10:26,419 --> 00:10:28,921 Like, this makes no sense. 196 00:10:30,882 --> 00:10:34,177 -In my opinion, he should not have been 197 00:10:34,218 --> 00:10:36,679 allowed to operate anywhere. 198 00:10:36,721 --> 00:10:40,099 How many disasters does it take? 199 00:10:43,019 --> 00:10:45,396 It shouldn't take more than two. 200 00:10:45,438 --> 00:10:46,939 But it did. 201 00:10:46,981 --> 00:10:52,612 -He lasted at Baylor Plano three months. 202 00:10:52,653 --> 00:10:56,407 And he lasted at his next hospital less than a week. 203 00:10:56,449 --> 00:10:59,410 -Kellie is the first patient that Duntsch kills, 204 00:10:59,452 --> 00:11:01,871 but, sadly, not the last. 205 00:11:01,913 --> 00:11:07,335 ** 206 00:11:11,964 --> 00:11:16,260 [ Monitor beeping, heartbeat echoing ] 207 00:11:16,302 --> 00:11:20,681 ** 208 00:11:20,723 --> 00:11:24,685 -You always look back and see the signs, I guess, don't you? 209 00:11:24,727 --> 00:11:27,897 I wish I would have just grabbed him along the way... 210 00:11:29,941 --> 00:11:34,362 ...and just told him to stop and look at hisself. 211 00:11:36,114 --> 00:11:41,494 I feel like I should have seen it, too. 212 00:11:41,536 --> 00:11:44,330 I was there, I should have thought, "There's... 213 00:11:44,372 --> 00:11:45,748 There's no way. 214 00:11:45,790 --> 00:11:49,502 There's no way you could be an accomplished surgeon." 215 00:11:49,544 --> 00:11:52,130 Somebody should have done something. 216 00:11:52,171 --> 00:11:54,340 It should have never come to this. 217 00:11:54,382 --> 00:11:59,387 ** 218 00:11:59,429 --> 00:12:04,267 -After Kellie Martin's surgery, we're now into March of 2012. 219 00:12:04,308 --> 00:12:06,310 Chris Duntsch is looking for a job elsewhere, 220 00:12:06,352 --> 00:12:10,773 and he starts applying to hospitals around Dallas. 221 00:12:10,815 --> 00:12:12,275 -He's telling his patients, 222 00:12:12,316 --> 00:12:15,278 "Oh, we're gonna hold off on your surgery for a minute. 223 00:12:15,319 --> 00:12:18,531 I'm busy." 224 00:12:18,573 --> 00:12:21,993 -I remember Chris saying that someone had passed away 225 00:12:22,034 --> 00:12:23,745 and that he wasn't exactly sure how. 226 00:12:23,786 --> 00:12:27,039 And he had, you know, said maybe it was an allergic reaction 227 00:12:27,081 --> 00:12:30,460 to something in the anesthesia. 228 00:12:30,501 --> 00:12:34,005 I actually didn't know he was unemployed between hospitals. 229 00:12:34,047 --> 00:12:36,049 I didn't really realize 230 00:12:36,090 --> 00:12:38,134 there was a severance with Baylor 231 00:12:38,176 --> 00:12:39,802 for quite some time. 232 00:12:39,844 --> 00:12:42,472 He didn't want to talk about it and really didn't want 233 00:12:42,513 --> 00:12:44,265 to clue me in, which was normal for him, 234 00:12:44,307 --> 00:12:46,934 to want to keep me in the dark a lot. 235 00:12:46,976 --> 00:12:49,187 He carried a lot of secrets. 236 00:12:51,814 --> 00:12:55,318 -Did you have some sort of romantic or sexual relationship 237 00:12:55,359 --> 00:12:57,028 at some point with Dr. Duntsch? 238 00:12:57,070 --> 00:12:58,321 -We did date, sir. 239 00:12:58,362 --> 00:13:00,198 -Where -- Where would you go 240 00:13:00,239 --> 00:13:03,326 for entertainment or dates or whatever it was 241 00:13:03,367 --> 00:13:05,828 y'all two would do with one another? 242 00:13:05,870 --> 00:13:07,663 -Our office. 243 00:13:07,705 --> 00:13:09,749 -Sorry? 244 00:13:09,791 --> 00:13:13,252 -The office, because there was a couch in his office. 245 00:13:13,294 --> 00:13:15,213 So we would sleep, sometimes fall asleep, 246 00:13:15,254 --> 00:13:17,673 and then I'd go home and he would go home. 247 00:13:17,715 --> 00:13:20,968 ** 248 00:13:21,010 --> 00:13:22,637 [ Cellphone chimes ] 249 00:13:22,678 --> 00:13:26,099 -Are you saying you -- you would have dates in the office? 250 00:13:26,140 --> 00:13:27,725 -Yeah, 'cause we were really busy. 251 00:13:27,767 --> 00:13:30,645 -Okay. How many times did y'all have a date in the office? 252 00:13:30,686 --> 00:13:33,523 -We probably tried to get together two times a week, 253 00:13:33,564 --> 00:13:34,774 maybe three. 254 00:13:34,816 --> 00:13:40,446 ** 255 00:13:40,488 --> 00:13:43,699 -Every event, every person that would ask, 256 00:13:43,741 --> 00:13:45,451 I'm somebody else's girlfriend 257 00:13:45,493 --> 00:13:48,454 or I'm just living there until my husband comes to get me. 258 00:13:48,496 --> 00:13:50,998 I became his secret. 259 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,877 I became his problem. 260 00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:59,006 The Chris that I knew could be angry 261 00:13:59,048 --> 00:14:01,718 if I didn't bend to his will. 262 00:14:01,759 --> 00:14:05,722 There'd been some domestic violence between him and I. 263 00:14:05,763 --> 00:14:07,265 Once while I was pregnant, 264 00:14:07,306 --> 00:14:11,644 which caused me to go to the antepartum unit. 265 00:14:11,686 --> 00:14:15,064 He ripped my shirt, he pushed me against the wall. 266 00:14:15,106 --> 00:14:19,026 He was supposed to have met Kim that evening, 267 00:14:19,068 --> 00:14:21,654 and that was, like, our main issue. 268 00:14:21,696 --> 00:14:23,364 There was an affair going on. 269 00:14:23,406 --> 00:14:26,909 ** 270 00:14:26,951 --> 00:14:28,077 [ Cellphone chimes ] 271 00:14:28,119 --> 00:14:29,495 I'm in too deep at this point, 272 00:14:29,537 --> 00:14:31,497 totally dependent on him to eat, 273 00:14:31,539 --> 00:14:34,542 and I was trying to find a way out. 274 00:14:34,584 --> 00:14:39,505 But I'm just basically stuck in a situation now 275 00:14:39,547 --> 00:14:43,176 that I never saw coming. 276 00:14:43,217 --> 00:14:45,511 -When a person with a psychopathic 277 00:14:45,553 --> 00:14:50,433 or sociopathic personality style is in a relationship, 278 00:14:50,475 --> 00:14:54,395 we often see patterns like coercive control, 279 00:14:54,437 --> 00:14:56,272 exploitation of a partner, 280 00:14:56,314 --> 00:14:59,317 emotional, physical abuse of a partner. 281 00:15:02,820 --> 00:15:04,614 -By the summer of 2012, 282 00:15:04,655 --> 00:15:06,866 Duntsch no longer has a job at Baylor, 283 00:15:06,908 --> 00:15:10,411 and he tries to find another job around Dallas. 284 00:15:10,453 --> 00:15:15,416 And he eventually meets with Dallas Medical Center, 285 00:15:15,458 --> 00:15:19,212 and they are looking for a neurosurgeon. 286 00:15:19,253 --> 00:15:22,715 -Dallas Medical Center is a tier lower 287 00:15:22,757 --> 00:15:24,884 than where he was coming from. 288 00:15:24,926 --> 00:15:29,889 And when he meets with their CEO, he has a plan -- 289 00:15:29,931 --> 00:15:33,393 he wants to build this huge neurosurgical practice for them. 290 00:15:33,434 --> 00:15:36,687 This is a hospital that really doesn't do neurosurgery. 291 00:15:36,729 --> 00:15:38,815 They don't do brain surgery at all. 292 00:15:38,856 --> 00:15:40,149 They do some spine surgery, 293 00:15:40,191 --> 00:15:43,736 but this is a huge cash cow for them. 294 00:15:43,778 --> 00:15:47,115 -Dallas Medical Center was struggling financially, 295 00:15:47,156 --> 00:15:52,495 and it was a pretty sexy proposition. 296 00:15:52,537 --> 00:15:56,582 -People talk, and so Dallas Medical Center 297 00:15:56,624 --> 00:15:59,502 had an inkling of what happened at Baylor Plano, 298 00:15:59,544 --> 00:16:03,089 and he'd had excuses for Jerry Summers' 299 00:16:03,131 --> 00:16:06,759 and Kellie Martin's cases. 300 00:16:06,801 --> 00:16:09,929 -Dallas Medical Center did check the National Data Bank 301 00:16:09,971 --> 00:16:12,724 to see if Duntsch had any marks on his record, but he didn't 302 00:16:12,765 --> 00:16:15,476 because he was allowed to resign from Baylor Plano. 303 00:16:15,518 --> 00:16:19,731 Therefore they did allow him to practice at their hospital. 304 00:16:19,772 --> 00:16:23,359 -Officially, his privileges are temporary, to operate, 305 00:16:23,401 --> 00:16:24,986 because they haven't yet finished 306 00:16:25,027 --> 00:16:26,529 the review of his credentials. 307 00:16:26,571 --> 00:16:28,698 -Duntsch had cases, he could bring revenues 308 00:16:28,740 --> 00:16:31,200 into Dallas Medical Center right away, so why not? 309 00:16:31,242 --> 00:16:34,203 Why wait -- Let's give him temporary privileges. 310 00:16:34,245 --> 00:16:42,879 ** 311 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,381 -I first met Dr. Duntsch 312 00:16:45,423 --> 00:16:47,967 the Monday morning of his first surgery 313 00:16:48,009 --> 00:16:49,385 at Dallas Medical Center. 314 00:16:49,427 --> 00:16:53,681 Seemed very intense, very aggressive. 315 00:16:53,723 --> 00:16:59,479 Not in a mean way, but just very, very boisterous. 316 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:04,609 He definitely would let you know how great he was at what he did, 317 00:17:04,650 --> 00:17:06,319 that maybe that he was even better 318 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:09,155 than anyone you'd met who'd done it before. 319 00:17:09,197 --> 00:17:12,575 ** 320 00:17:12,617 --> 00:17:16,120 -The very first patient he operated on was Shirley Mock, 321 00:17:16,162 --> 00:17:19,499 and that surgery didn't go well. 322 00:17:19,540 --> 00:17:22,210 She ended up having to have it fixed. 323 00:17:22,251 --> 00:17:24,420 She had loose hardware in her back, 324 00:17:24,462 --> 00:17:29,092 but she was able to leave the hospital okay at that time. 325 00:17:29,133 --> 00:17:32,637 -After Shirley Mock, he operates on Floella Brown. 326 00:17:36,224 --> 00:17:37,892 -She was an older, sweet lady 327 00:17:37,934 --> 00:17:41,187 who needed an issue in her neck fixed. 328 00:17:43,439 --> 00:17:45,775 -The morning of Floella Brown's surgery 329 00:17:45,817 --> 00:17:49,153 is when I noticed Dr. Duntsch is wearing the same scrubs 330 00:17:49,195 --> 00:17:51,072 that he had been wearing the day before. 331 00:17:51,114 --> 00:17:52,990 I noticed this because there's a -- 332 00:17:53,032 --> 00:17:57,912 about a nickel-sized hole in the butt of his scrubs. 333 00:17:57,954 --> 00:17:59,997 He was not wearing underwear that morning 334 00:18:00,039 --> 00:18:01,541 or the morning before. 335 00:18:01,582 --> 00:18:04,585 Granted, he could have washed his scrubs overnight, 336 00:18:04,627 --> 00:18:07,797 but there was a pretty good chance that he hadn't. 337 00:18:07,839 --> 00:18:09,757 Neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons 338 00:18:09,799 --> 00:18:13,010 are very big sticklers about sterility. 339 00:18:13,052 --> 00:18:15,888 That's when your Spidey senses are going off and saying, 340 00:18:15,930 --> 00:18:18,599 "Something might not be right here." 341 00:18:18,641 --> 00:18:21,436 ** 342 00:18:21,477 --> 00:18:22,895 And when he'd look at you, 343 00:18:22,937 --> 00:18:25,356 it was almost as if he was looking through you. 344 00:18:27,817 --> 00:18:33,030 I had that feeling about some sort of drug use going on. 345 00:18:33,072 --> 00:18:35,908 I mentioned my concerns to the -- to our charge nurse. 346 00:18:35,950 --> 00:18:39,620 Charge nurse said, "Okay, noted," and, you know, 347 00:18:39,662 --> 00:18:41,873 "let me know if you see anything else." 348 00:18:43,708 --> 00:18:46,502 We started Floella Brown's surgery, 349 00:18:46,544 --> 00:18:50,882 and within five minutes of that surgery starting, 350 00:18:50,923 --> 00:18:53,551 Dr. Duntsch was complaining about he couldn't see 351 00:18:53,593 --> 00:18:56,637 because there was too much blood. 352 00:18:56,679 --> 00:18:59,057 -There is blood everywhere. 353 00:18:59,098 --> 00:19:00,683 She's bleeding out of her neck. 354 00:19:00,725 --> 00:19:03,311 It's gushing, it's pooling on the floor. 355 00:19:03,352 --> 00:19:07,940 -You shouldn't be losing that much blood in a neck surgery. 356 00:19:07,982 --> 00:19:10,568 There was something wrong with the bleeding. 357 00:19:10,610 --> 00:19:12,653 This is cra-- I can't -- I've never seen this. 358 00:19:12,695 --> 00:19:15,364 You know, is this guy insane? 359 00:19:15,406 --> 00:19:18,367 -There's the obvious problem for the patient 360 00:19:18,409 --> 00:19:20,620 losing that much blood volume, 361 00:19:20,661 --> 00:19:24,248 but it's also a problem for the surgery itself, 362 00:19:24,290 --> 00:19:26,084 because if you got blood pooling, 363 00:19:26,125 --> 00:19:27,668 you're trying to operate on the -- 364 00:19:27,710 --> 00:19:29,003 in and around the spinal cord, 365 00:19:29,045 --> 00:19:30,588 and you've got blood filling up in there, 366 00:19:30,630 --> 00:19:32,298 you can't see what you're doing. 367 00:19:32,340 --> 00:19:34,801 But that didn't seem to deter Dr. Duntsch. 368 00:19:34,842 --> 00:19:36,302 ** 369 00:19:43,601 --> 00:19:46,104 [ Monitor beeping, ventilator hissing ] 370 00:19:46,145 --> 00:19:49,190 -In Duntsch's story, there's a lot of second guessing 371 00:19:49,232 --> 00:19:51,818 that goes on, with nurses saying, 372 00:19:51,859 --> 00:19:53,528 "Oh, well, I would have reported him, 373 00:19:53,569 --> 00:19:55,363 I would have reported him," but it's hard to tell, 374 00:19:55,405 --> 00:19:57,407 like, in the moment, if you suspect -- 375 00:19:57,448 --> 00:19:59,951 you're not sure, because you're not a surgeon. 376 00:19:59,992 --> 00:20:05,039 And in the operating room, the surgeon is king. 377 00:20:05,081 --> 00:20:08,835 -It's not unlike the hierarchy in an airplane. 378 00:20:08,876 --> 00:20:11,713 The captain is the captain is the captain. 379 00:20:11,754 --> 00:20:16,551 But we're all in the operating room only for one reason, 380 00:20:16,592 --> 00:20:19,721 and that's the patient's best interest. 381 00:20:19,762 --> 00:20:23,266 That's our job, and that's the job of the nurses, 382 00:20:23,307 --> 00:20:25,268 the doctors, the technicians. 383 00:20:25,309 --> 00:20:30,106 When that doesn't happen, who suffers? 384 00:20:30,148 --> 00:20:33,109 The patient. 385 00:20:33,151 --> 00:20:35,445 -Floella Brown's surgery should have probably lasted 386 00:20:35,486 --> 00:20:37,071 about two hours. 387 00:20:37,113 --> 00:20:38,906 I know it went for four hours 388 00:20:38,948 --> 00:20:42,744 because I was relieved by another nurse for lunch. 389 00:20:42,785 --> 00:20:45,329 When I came back, they were all done. 390 00:20:45,371 --> 00:20:47,165 She was already in recovery. 391 00:20:47,206 --> 00:20:50,710 The nurse who had replaced me told me at that point, 392 00:20:50,752 --> 00:20:53,588 "Hey, they pulled the drain." 393 00:20:53,629 --> 00:20:55,214 That's a big deal because 394 00:20:55,256 --> 00:20:57,258 if there is bleeding inside the neck, 395 00:20:57,300 --> 00:20:59,886 they want to be able to drain that out as quickly as possible 396 00:20:59,927 --> 00:21:03,681 so that a patient's not having trouble breathing. 397 00:21:03,723 --> 00:21:07,060 Dr. Duntsch told everyone, "It will be fine," 398 00:21:07,101 --> 00:21:09,187 and just left it at that. 399 00:21:09,228 --> 00:21:11,731 That really scared me. 400 00:21:11,773 --> 00:21:13,608 That was when I spoke to the CEO 401 00:21:13,649 --> 00:21:15,276 and said, you know, "Something's wrong. 402 00:21:15,318 --> 00:21:18,571 I think that we need to have another surgeon watching him." 403 00:21:18,613 --> 00:21:20,573 I was told at that point by the CEO, 404 00:21:20,615 --> 00:21:25,119 "No," that, "we'll see how tomorrow goes." 405 00:21:25,161 --> 00:21:27,497 -So that night, Duntsch leaves the hospital, 406 00:21:27,538 --> 00:21:30,041 and Floella is not doing great. 407 00:21:30,083 --> 00:21:32,627 In the evening, her husband kind of finds her. 408 00:21:32,668 --> 00:21:33,961 She's not super responsive, 409 00:21:34,003 --> 00:21:35,797 she's not able to speak with him, 410 00:21:35,838 --> 00:21:37,965 but he leaves, and then the next morning, when he comes back, 411 00:21:38,007 --> 00:21:40,802 he finds her, and she's completely unresponsive. 412 00:21:42,637 --> 00:21:45,181 -It was a big concern to all of us, just knowing, 413 00:21:45,223 --> 00:21:46,474 you know, what she had had done. 414 00:21:46,516 --> 00:21:48,559 The drain thing starts worrying us. 415 00:21:48,601 --> 00:21:50,645 Honestly, even to say it now gives me chills 416 00:21:50,686 --> 00:21:53,356 thinking about it. 417 00:21:53,398 --> 00:21:54,899 -And they begin trying to call Duntsch. 418 00:21:54,941 --> 00:21:56,818 They are not able to get ahold of him 419 00:21:56,859 --> 00:21:59,987 for about an hour and a half. 420 00:22:00,029 --> 00:22:02,532 -The moment he walked in that morning, 421 00:22:02,573 --> 00:22:03,950 I immediately got to him and said, 422 00:22:03,991 --> 00:22:05,785 "Look, you need to call upstairs. 423 00:22:05,827 --> 00:22:08,162 There's something wrong with your patient from yesterday." 424 00:22:08,204 --> 00:22:12,542 It was at first met with -- it seemed like little concern, 425 00:22:12,583 --> 00:22:14,585 almost that he was blowing it off. 426 00:22:14,627 --> 00:22:17,505 He looked especially disheveled that morning. 427 00:22:17,547 --> 00:22:18,840 Third day in a row, 428 00:22:18,881 --> 00:22:21,008 was wearing the same pair of black scrubs 429 00:22:21,050 --> 00:22:24,679 with the nickel-sized hole on his right ass cheek, 430 00:22:24,721 --> 00:22:26,180 right above the pocket. 431 00:22:26,222 --> 00:22:28,433 Definitely, it looked like it had been a rough night. 432 00:22:28,474 --> 00:22:31,477 I knew he was on some sort of drugs. 433 00:22:31,519 --> 00:22:33,688 -I never saw Chris with drugs -- 434 00:22:33,730 --> 00:22:35,690 not besides his prescription. 435 00:22:35,732 --> 00:22:38,025 He was prescribed a stimulant 436 00:22:38,067 --> 00:22:40,361 similar to Adderall. 437 00:22:40,403 --> 00:22:43,364 And I did see him with his vodka. 438 00:22:43,406 --> 00:22:45,116 -I think that drugs and alcohol 439 00:22:45,158 --> 00:22:47,452 hindered Christopher Duntsch's cognitive abilities. 440 00:22:47,493 --> 00:22:50,621 And I think it enhanced his belief that he was the best -- 441 00:22:50,663 --> 00:22:54,208 you know, his narcissism, his slight God complex. 442 00:22:54,250 --> 00:22:55,752 I think that it made him think 443 00:22:55,793 --> 00:22:58,254 that he could do whatever he wanted. 444 00:22:58,296 --> 00:23:02,050 And you could start to see how his extracurricular activities 445 00:23:02,091 --> 00:23:04,886 are seeping into his professional life. 446 00:23:04,927 --> 00:23:12,518 ** 447 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,104 -I wanted to clarify something. 448 00:23:15,146 --> 00:23:17,523 Is that the kind of bottle Dr. Duntsch had -- 449 00:23:17,565 --> 00:23:21,486 had under his desk at Baylor Plano? 450 00:23:27,658 --> 00:23:29,535 -It's been so long -- it looks similar, 451 00:23:29,577 --> 00:23:32,038 but I can't be 100 percent sure. 452 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:36,501 -Did you ever see cocaine or white powder 453 00:23:36,542 --> 00:23:39,587 in the office at Baylor Plano? 454 00:23:39,629 --> 00:23:42,924 -We found a bag of white substance 455 00:23:42,965 --> 00:23:46,094 in the patient bathroom at Baylor Plano. 456 00:23:46,135 --> 00:23:49,597 -Did you open it up to see if it was cocaine? 457 00:23:49,639 --> 00:23:52,100 -No, sir, we didn't touch it. 458 00:23:52,141 --> 00:23:55,061 -Why didn't you touch it? -We didn't know what it was. 459 00:23:55,103 --> 00:23:56,771 -So what did you do with the white powder 460 00:23:56,813 --> 00:23:58,606 that was in the baggie? 461 00:23:58,648 --> 00:24:00,608 -We flushed it in the toilet, sir. 462 00:24:00,650 --> 00:24:03,027 -Why would you have flushed that down the toilet? 463 00:24:03,069 --> 00:24:04,862 -Because we didn't know what it was. 464 00:24:04,904 --> 00:24:06,697 Could have been Anthrax or... 465 00:24:06,739 --> 00:24:08,908 -You put the -- the whole baggie in the toilet? 466 00:24:08,950 --> 00:24:10,785 -Yes, sir. -Now, you weren't really 467 00:24:10,827 --> 00:24:12,703 thinking it was Anthrax, were you? 468 00:24:12,745 --> 00:24:15,123 -We don't know, sir. We don't know what it was. 469 00:24:15,164 --> 00:24:22,130 ** 470 00:24:22,171 --> 00:24:24,382 -I don't know if it was combination 471 00:24:24,424 --> 00:24:27,593 of mental illness and drugs and he was so out of it 472 00:24:27,635 --> 00:24:31,055 and so delusional that he kept hurting people 473 00:24:31,097 --> 00:24:36,602 and telling himself that he wasn't hurting people. 474 00:24:36,644 --> 00:24:39,021 But it seemed to me that there were 475 00:24:39,063 --> 00:24:41,107 a multitude of things going on. 476 00:24:41,149 --> 00:24:45,153 ** 477 00:24:45,194 --> 00:24:48,656 -Duntsch is getting information from the hospital that, 478 00:24:48,698 --> 00:24:51,242 "Hey, we need to give Floella Brown some care. 479 00:24:51,284 --> 00:24:53,286 We need to save her life." 480 00:24:53,327 --> 00:24:55,997 But, if you can believe it, things get worse. 481 00:24:56,038 --> 00:24:58,750 [ Heartbeat echoing loudly ] 482 00:25:03,087 --> 00:25:10,595 ** 483 00:25:10,636 --> 00:25:11,971 [ Cellphone chimes ] 484 00:25:12,013 --> 00:25:18,644 ** 485 00:25:18,686 --> 00:25:25,485 ** 486 00:25:25,526 --> 00:25:32,158 ** 487 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,327 -I take it, at some point, you terminated 488 00:25:34,368 --> 00:25:36,788 the intimate relationship you had with Dr. Duntsch. 489 00:25:36,829 --> 00:25:38,498 -Yes, sir. -When did that happen? 490 00:25:38,539 --> 00:25:43,294 -After Mr. Summers' surgery, we really didn't see each other. 491 00:25:43,336 --> 00:25:47,006 And he kept calling me, "Could you come back, please? 492 00:25:47,048 --> 00:25:48,883 I just need someone to talk to. 493 00:25:48,925 --> 00:25:50,635 We're going to get the business going again." 494 00:25:50,676 --> 00:25:55,515 I was like, "Okay," and I just hung up, and I'm like, "Yeah." 495 00:25:55,556 --> 00:25:58,559 And I met a guy I'd been talking to. 496 00:25:58,601 --> 00:26:00,853 -Was it a romantic relationship, I guess? 497 00:26:00,895 --> 00:26:02,522 -We were talking about dating, yes, sir. 498 00:26:02,563 --> 00:26:06,359 -I see. And so you had this other fella, 499 00:26:06,401 --> 00:26:07,693 and you decided to pursue that? 500 00:26:07,735 --> 00:26:09,153 -Yes, sir. -Okay. 501 00:26:09,195 --> 00:26:11,948 -Kimberly was seeing a few different people, 502 00:26:11,989 --> 00:26:14,283 Chris found out about later. 503 00:26:14,325 --> 00:26:17,412 Of course, right? What goes around comes around. 504 00:26:17,453 --> 00:26:25,712 ** 505 00:26:25,753 --> 00:26:28,923 -Duntsch's third day at Dallas Medical Center, 506 00:26:28,965 --> 00:26:31,008 he shows up late for surgery, 507 00:26:31,050 --> 00:26:34,512 and Floella Brown is in grave danger 508 00:26:34,554 --> 00:26:37,348 from her surgery the day before. 509 00:26:37,390 --> 00:26:40,351 -On that third day, I do remember him disappearing 510 00:26:40,393 --> 00:26:41,978 for a good 20 minutes. 511 00:26:42,019 --> 00:26:44,897 We thought he was taking care of the situation 512 00:26:44,939 --> 00:26:46,899 with Floella Brown, 513 00:26:46,941 --> 00:26:48,860 but, actually, no one knows where he went, 514 00:26:48,901 --> 00:26:51,154 because we found out once he did resurface 515 00:26:51,195 --> 00:26:55,742 that morning that the floor still had not heard from him. 516 00:26:55,783 --> 00:26:57,994 He came back with an intensity that, honestly, 517 00:26:58,035 --> 00:26:59,412 I think he was probably 518 00:26:59,454 --> 00:27:02,123 doing cocaine in the bathroom at that point. 519 00:27:02,165 --> 00:27:07,253 -Duntsch finds Floella Brown in the ICU and orders some imaging, 520 00:27:07,295 --> 00:27:09,505 but, basically, they know that she's having a stroke. 521 00:27:09,547 --> 00:27:13,134 He decides that he's going to operate on a different patient. 522 00:27:16,262 --> 00:27:18,264 Mary Efurd. 523 00:27:18,306 --> 00:27:21,309 No one stops Duntsch from going into Mary Efurd's surgery 524 00:27:21,350 --> 00:27:24,687 because the surgeon is the captain of the ship, 525 00:27:24,729 --> 00:27:26,189 he gets to make the decisions, 526 00:27:26,230 --> 00:27:28,524 and anyone else who's in the operating room, 527 00:27:28,566 --> 00:27:31,778 they do what they're told. 528 00:27:31,819 --> 00:27:33,821 -Well, the thing I remember about Mary is that 529 00:27:33,863 --> 00:27:36,783 she could just have been anybody's grandmother -- 530 00:27:36,824 --> 00:27:40,036 just a sweet, older lady who had some really 531 00:27:40,078 --> 00:27:43,539 run-of-the-mill back problems that she wanted to get fixed 532 00:27:43,581 --> 00:27:47,543 so she could continue to enjoy an active lifestyle. 533 00:27:47,585 --> 00:27:51,964 -There was no reason to have to do her surgery that day. 534 00:27:52,006 --> 00:27:55,009 He had a patient dying in the ICU, 535 00:27:55,051 --> 00:27:59,097 and he takes Mary Efurd in for an elective surgery. 536 00:27:59,138 --> 00:28:01,974 -Mary has no idea what has gone on the day before 537 00:28:02,016 --> 00:28:04,018 with Duntsch's other patient, Floella Brown, 538 00:28:04,060 --> 00:28:07,939 and so she thinks everything is just going to be fine and dandy. 539 00:28:07,980 --> 00:28:12,193 When he's in there, he does crazy things. 540 00:28:13,736 --> 00:28:16,447 Things that should never happen. 541 00:28:16,489 --> 00:28:19,158 -Mary Efurd's surgery was a spinal fusion. 542 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,703 When a doctor is doing a spinal fusion, 543 00:28:22,745 --> 00:28:24,330 they're constantly taking X-rays. 544 00:28:24,372 --> 00:28:26,666 They gotta make sure that it's going into the right spot, 545 00:28:26,707 --> 00:28:29,127 going in the right angle. 546 00:28:30,503 --> 00:28:35,216 Dr. Duntsch was placing screws into muscle. 547 00:28:36,718 --> 00:28:38,720 -One doctor described it as 548 00:28:38,761 --> 00:28:42,181 trying to put a screw into raw tuna. 549 00:28:42,223 --> 00:28:46,185 You're just not going to get any sort of purchase from it. 550 00:28:46,227 --> 00:28:48,479 -All of us in that room were saying, 551 00:28:48,521 --> 00:28:50,398 "That's not even touching bone." 552 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:51,858 -They're telling him, 553 00:28:51,899 --> 00:28:53,359 "You don't have the hardware in the right place." 554 00:28:53,401 --> 00:28:56,320 They're trying to show it to him on the fluoroscopy. 555 00:28:56,362 --> 00:28:58,865 He is yelling back at them, "I can see it with my eyes. 556 00:28:58,906 --> 00:29:00,783 You can't see it," even though it's very obvious 557 00:29:00,825 --> 00:29:02,410 that he's wrong. 558 00:29:02,452 --> 00:29:06,038 -It was frustrating, but it was so confusing to all of us 559 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:08,207 because, looking at the pictures, 560 00:29:08,249 --> 00:29:10,543 there's absolutely no way to confuse the two, 561 00:29:10,585 --> 00:29:13,046 the muscle and the bone. 562 00:29:13,087 --> 00:29:17,383 -I can hardly speak of it without just wanting to scream. 563 00:29:17,425 --> 00:29:20,762 Even the least-experienced person in the operating room 564 00:29:20,803 --> 00:29:24,974 with Mary Efurd could have looked up on the portable X-ray 565 00:29:25,016 --> 00:29:26,976 and seen that the hardware 566 00:29:27,018 --> 00:29:31,230 was being placed in the wrong position. 567 00:29:31,272 --> 00:29:34,567 -He lost a screw in the soft tissue in the back, 568 00:29:34,609 --> 00:29:37,737 and they couldn't find it, even with fluoroscopy. 569 00:29:37,779 --> 00:29:40,114 -There's no way to describe this. 570 00:29:40,156 --> 00:29:43,993 It's just somebody totally lost in space. 571 00:29:44,035 --> 00:29:48,039 He had no idea of where he was or what he was doing. 572 00:29:50,333 --> 00:29:52,919 -While Mary Efurd's surgery is going on, 573 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,713 he's also distracted by what's happening 574 00:29:55,755 --> 00:30:00,134 with Floella Brown in the ICU. 575 00:30:00,176 --> 00:30:02,720 -It was getting to a surreal moment. 576 00:30:02,762 --> 00:30:06,015 Dr. Duntsch is in the middle of Mary Efurd's surgery, 577 00:30:06,057 --> 00:30:10,269 and he wants to do a craniotomy on Ms. Brown. 578 00:30:10,311 --> 00:30:14,899 Basically, he wanted to cut a hole in the back of her skull 579 00:30:14,941 --> 00:30:17,652 to release some tension off of the brain. 580 00:30:17,693 --> 00:30:19,904 -The hospital that he was in, 581 00:30:19,946 --> 00:30:22,573 they didn't have the equipment to do that, 582 00:30:22,615 --> 00:30:25,701 and he didn't have privileges to do that. 583 00:30:25,743 --> 00:30:28,329 -I told him, "There's no way we can do that here. 584 00:30:28,371 --> 00:30:32,750 If you need that done, we should transfer Ms. Brown out." 585 00:30:32,792 --> 00:30:36,504 And he said, "I'll do it. You guys have what I need. 586 00:30:36,546 --> 00:30:39,465 I can -- I can do it with what you have on hand." 587 00:30:39,507 --> 00:30:41,843 I was not comfortable with that at all -- 588 00:30:41,884 --> 00:30:45,179 cutting into someone's skull with the wrong instruments. 589 00:30:45,221 --> 00:30:47,724 It can get very dangerous. 590 00:30:47,765 --> 00:30:50,518 At that point is when he started getting upset and yelling at me. 591 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,730 "I'm a doctor, you're a nurse, just do what I say." 592 00:30:53,771 --> 00:30:57,150 And I told him, "When you hit gray matter in the brain, 593 00:30:57,191 --> 00:30:59,068 it won't matter that you're the doctor and I'm the nurse, 594 00:30:59,110 --> 00:31:01,154 you'll have killed the patient." 595 00:31:01,195 --> 00:31:04,157 And he said, "Yeah, well, if you're not going to do that, 596 00:31:04,198 --> 00:31:08,161 I want you to go get your boss and bring him in here." 597 00:31:08,202 --> 00:31:10,204 I was -- I was more than happy to do that. 598 00:31:10,246 --> 00:31:13,291 I said, "Okay, I'll be right back." 599 00:31:13,332 --> 00:31:15,334 I got the medical director of the hospital, 600 00:31:15,376 --> 00:31:16,419 Dr. Ippolito. 601 00:31:18,838 --> 00:31:21,132 Dr. Ippolito entered the room 602 00:31:21,174 --> 00:31:23,551 and started yelling right off the bat, 603 00:31:23,593 --> 00:31:26,763 "You transfer that [bleep] patient to Parkland. 604 00:31:26,804 --> 00:31:28,181 You're not doing a [bleep] craniotomy 605 00:31:28,222 --> 00:31:29,682 here in this hospital." 606 00:31:29,724 --> 00:31:32,852 -They are going back and forth, fighting about it. 607 00:31:32,894 --> 00:31:34,145 Meanwhile, Floella Brown is dying 608 00:31:34,187 --> 00:31:35,938 and not getting the care that she needs. 609 00:31:35,980 --> 00:31:40,401 And Mary Efurd is sitting on the operating table wide open. 610 00:31:42,570 --> 00:31:44,572 -After being yelled at by Dr. Ippolito, 611 00:31:44,614 --> 00:31:48,284 Dr. Duntsch broke scrub and left the room. 612 00:31:48,326 --> 00:31:51,537 ** 613 00:31:51,579 --> 00:31:54,040 All of us were just flabbergasted. 614 00:31:54,082 --> 00:31:55,541 This guy's leaving this lady open 615 00:31:55,583 --> 00:31:57,960 with a screw in the wrong spot. 616 00:31:58,002 --> 00:31:59,796 None of us knew where he was. 617 00:31:59,837 --> 00:32:01,214 What is going on? 618 00:32:01,255 --> 00:32:04,300 -Duntsch was a runaway train... 619 00:32:04,342 --> 00:32:06,469 and none of the brakes worked. 620 00:32:06,511 --> 00:32:10,306 ** 621 00:32:15,812 --> 00:32:18,064 ** 622 00:32:18,106 --> 00:32:21,359 -Floella Brown is dying. 623 00:32:21,401 --> 00:32:23,528 The course of action would have been for Duntsch 624 00:32:23,569 --> 00:32:25,822 to send Floella to another hospital, 625 00:32:25,863 --> 00:32:27,532 but he wouldn't do that, so she sat around 626 00:32:27,573 --> 00:32:29,909 for hours in this state 627 00:32:29,951 --> 00:32:31,411 before she could get the appropriate care 628 00:32:31,452 --> 00:32:34,622 and he was willing to transfer her. 629 00:32:34,664 --> 00:32:37,250 Ultimately, Duntsch's hand was forced, 630 00:32:37,291 --> 00:32:39,043 and he had to transfer Floella Brown 631 00:32:39,085 --> 00:32:40,962 to another hospital. 632 00:32:43,256 --> 00:32:45,049 -After transferring Ms. Brown, 633 00:32:45,091 --> 00:32:46,968 Dr. Duntsch came back into the OR 634 00:32:47,009 --> 00:32:49,095 for Mary Efurd's surgery. 635 00:32:49,137 --> 00:32:51,055 There was some renewed energy in him. 636 00:32:51,097 --> 00:32:54,225 I think he's had more cocaine in the bathroom or something. 637 00:32:54,267 --> 00:32:56,936 And he starts to go back to work. 638 00:32:59,772 --> 00:33:02,233 His pace definitely picks up. 639 00:33:02,275 --> 00:33:05,570 He pulled out the screw that had been sitting in muscle. 640 00:33:05,611 --> 00:33:09,115 He kept on placing the screw and replacing it. 641 00:33:09,157 --> 00:33:11,159 Everyone in that room was trying to help him. 642 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:12,702 Everyone in that room was saying, 643 00:33:12,744 --> 00:33:14,954 "No, that's the wrong spot," 644 00:33:14,996 --> 00:33:16,414 "No, you gotta change that." 645 00:33:16,456 --> 00:33:18,082 At that point, you should realize that, 646 00:33:18,124 --> 00:33:19,459 "Hey, maybe I should listen 647 00:33:19,500 --> 00:33:23,379 to all six voices telling me that I'm wrong." 648 00:33:23,421 --> 00:33:26,215 -He won't listen to anyone. 649 00:33:26,257 --> 00:33:28,760 To me, that's what represents 650 00:33:28,801 --> 00:33:31,345 somebody who's just acting like a mad man. 651 00:33:31,387 --> 00:33:36,017 ** 652 00:33:36,059 --> 00:33:38,186 -I've never seen a case 653 00:33:38,227 --> 00:33:41,189 which should have been more straightforward 654 00:33:41,230 --> 00:33:44,108 go so horribly wrong. 655 00:33:44,150 --> 00:33:46,069 He seemed like he had an over-confidence 656 00:33:46,110 --> 00:33:48,279 and it was boosted by drug use. 657 00:33:48,321 --> 00:33:51,574 He just thought he couldn't be wrong. 658 00:33:51,616 --> 00:33:55,328 -At some point, he throws his hands up in the air 659 00:33:55,369 --> 00:33:58,581 like he's just made a touchdown, and says, "Tricortical." 660 00:33:58,623 --> 00:34:01,125 -After Mary Efurd's surgery was done, 661 00:34:01,167 --> 00:34:04,337 everyone in that room felt drained. 662 00:34:04,379 --> 00:34:09,175 Dr. Duntsch walked out as if he had saved a life. 663 00:34:09,217 --> 00:34:13,137 I was just happy to have him out of the room. 664 00:34:13,179 --> 00:34:15,056 Before I was leaving for the day, 665 00:34:15,098 --> 00:34:17,642 I did ask if we had heard anything back 666 00:34:17,683 --> 00:34:18,935 about Floella Brown, 667 00:34:18,976 --> 00:34:22,063 and we were told, "They believe she's brain dead." 668 00:34:23,940 --> 00:34:25,983 It hits like a ton of bricks. 669 00:34:26,025 --> 00:34:29,278 It should never have happened, you know? 670 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,489 -Was doing the Floella Brown case. 671 00:34:31,531 --> 00:34:34,325 Dr. Duntsch injured the vertebral artery, 672 00:34:34,367 --> 00:34:36,536 the big artery that supplies 673 00:34:36,577 --> 00:34:38,621 the back of the brain with blood, 674 00:34:38,663 --> 00:34:41,332 and so she had a massive stroke and herniated 675 00:34:41,374 --> 00:34:43,334 and passed away the next morning. 676 00:34:43,376 --> 00:34:46,838 -She was not getting enough blood to her brain 677 00:34:46,879 --> 00:34:48,423 and ultimately died. 678 00:34:48,464 --> 00:34:51,092 -The second procedure he did 679 00:34:51,134 --> 00:34:53,886 at Dallas Medical Center, 680 00:34:53,928 --> 00:34:55,471 he killed Floella Brown. 681 00:34:58,850 --> 00:35:03,354 -He does the wrong operation at the wrong level, 682 00:35:03,396 --> 00:35:07,525 the wrong way, and kills her doing it. 683 00:35:07,567 --> 00:35:12,780 ** 684 00:35:12,822 --> 00:35:18,327 ** 685 00:36:05,708 --> 00:36:10,421 [ Siren wailing ] 686 00:36:10,463 --> 00:36:13,049 -When Mary comes out of her surgery, 687 00:36:13,091 --> 00:36:15,593 she's having issues right away -- 688 00:36:15,635 --> 00:36:18,179 however, Duntsch, of course, denies this. 689 00:36:18,221 --> 00:36:20,598 He tells the CEO of the hospital, 690 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:22,934 "Yep, everything's fine. It went well. 691 00:36:22,975 --> 00:36:24,977 And there were no problems." 692 00:36:25,019 --> 00:36:27,939 When the CEO begins to look into it and hear from other staff 693 00:36:27,980 --> 00:36:30,942 that there were issues, she goes herself down there 694 00:36:30,983 --> 00:36:32,276 to evaluate Mary Efurd, 695 00:36:32,318 --> 00:36:33,861 because she has some medical background, 696 00:36:33,903 --> 00:36:35,780 and is able to very quickly determine 697 00:36:35,822 --> 00:36:38,825 that there were some serious problems. 698 00:36:41,119 --> 00:36:44,288 -Next morning, I was told, 699 00:36:44,330 --> 00:36:47,458 "Did you hear Mary Efurd is paralyzed?" 700 00:36:49,001 --> 00:36:50,628 -Floella Brown, Mary Efurd, 701 00:36:50,670 --> 00:36:53,464 those cases should never have been performed. 702 00:36:53,506 --> 00:36:55,258 They should never have been operated on. 703 00:36:55,299 --> 00:36:57,635 Out of three cases that he did within a week, 704 00:36:57,677 --> 00:37:00,596 he had two catastrophic results. 705 00:37:00,638 --> 00:37:03,558 Christopher Duntsch should not have had a license 706 00:37:03,599 --> 00:37:05,643 to practice medicine in Texas. 707 00:37:05,685 --> 00:37:09,897 I mean, he was really maiming and killing people. 708 00:37:09,939 --> 00:37:12,483 -Mary Efurd is paralyzed. 709 00:37:12,525 --> 00:37:15,236 Floella Brown dies. 710 00:37:15,278 --> 00:37:19,073 And we're not even halfway through his tenure in Dallas. 711 00:37:19,115 --> 00:37:21,743 ** 712 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:32,587 ** 713 00:37:32,628 --> 00:37:36,799 -Mary Efurd is in really bad shape in the hospital. 714 00:37:36,841 --> 00:37:38,384 There's no way the hospital was going 715 00:37:38,426 --> 00:37:40,344 to let Christopher Duntsch near her again. 716 00:37:40,386 --> 00:37:42,180 She was never going to let Christopher Duntsch 717 00:37:42,221 --> 00:37:44,682 near her again. 718 00:37:44,724 --> 00:37:49,562 So the CEO calls in a doctor she trusts, Dr. Robert Henderson. 719 00:37:49,604 --> 00:37:51,355 -Dr. Henderson was called in 720 00:37:51,397 --> 00:37:54,609 to do an emergency re-operation. 721 00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:00,490 -He is brought in, basically, to save Mary. 722 00:38:00,531 --> 00:38:03,659 -Went up and evaluated Ms. Efurd. 723 00:38:03,701 --> 00:38:07,955 She awoke and was alert and visibly uncomfortable 724 00:38:07,997 --> 00:38:11,250 and stated she was in pain. 725 00:38:11,292 --> 00:38:13,669 And was not able to move her legs. 726 00:38:17,673 --> 00:38:20,510 I've looked at the imaging, and I can't hardly even believe 727 00:38:20,551 --> 00:38:22,512 what I'm seeing on the imaging. 728 00:38:22,553 --> 00:38:26,599 He never even operated on the disc itself, 729 00:38:26,641 --> 00:38:30,728 which he was supposed to remove in its entirety. 730 00:38:30,770 --> 00:38:33,856 It became apparent that this physician, Dr. Duntsch, 731 00:38:33,898 --> 00:38:37,985 had no business being involved in her care at all. 732 00:38:41,155 --> 00:38:45,034 -I had worked with Dr. Henderson before that plenty of times. 733 00:38:45,076 --> 00:38:46,786 Wonderful surgeon. 734 00:38:46,828 --> 00:38:49,414 I wanted to right a wrong that had happened, 735 00:38:49,455 --> 00:38:51,124 so I volunteered. 736 00:38:51,165 --> 00:38:53,334 -Henderson was brilliant. 737 00:38:53,376 --> 00:38:57,422 And he filmed that disaster. 738 00:38:57,463 --> 00:38:59,549 -He thought, "Nobody's going to believe me 739 00:38:59,590 --> 00:39:02,552 when I tell them this," and so he brought in somebody 740 00:39:02,593 --> 00:39:04,929 to actually record his surgery 741 00:39:04,971 --> 00:39:06,597 as they were removing the hardware, 742 00:39:06,639 --> 00:39:08,391 so that he could have proof 743 00:39:08,433 --> 00:39:10,017 of what Christopher Duntsch had done. 744 00:39:10,059 --> 00:39:14,480 He knew that there were going to be lawsuits about this. 745 00:39:14,522 --> 00:39:17,066 -Okay, here we are on Mary Efurd. 746 00:39:17,108 --> 00:39:19,360 This is the S1 screw. 747 00:39:19,402 --> 00:39:22,613 There's bone fragments just laying over 748 00:39:22,655 --> 00:39:25,867 the exposed dura here. 749 00:39:25,908 --> 00:39:28,411 -I realized it was even worse than I thought. 750 00:39:28,453 --> 00:39:32,373 It just blew everyone's mind. 751 00:39:32,415 --> 00:39:35,084 -It looked like a bomb went off in there. 752 00:39:35,126 --> 00:39:40,381 -This whole midline structure, which he tried to preserve, 753 00:39:40,423 --> 00:39:43,885 is just flopping in here. 754 00:39:43,926 --> 00:39:46,429 In my career, I've seen bad outcomes. 755 00:39:46,471 --> 00:39:49,807 This was in another whole realm. 756 00:39:49,849 --> 00:39:53,936 This is not providing any stability at all. 757 00:39:53,978 --> 00:39:59,192 When I would touch those screws and rods, they just moved, 758 00:39:59,233 --> 00:40:04,947 and then the screw at the bottom wasn't really even in bone. 759 00:40:04,989 --> 00:40:07,075 So I'm going to remove the screw now. 760 00:40:07,116 --> 00:40:08,534 -Okay. 761 00:40:08,576 --> 00:40:12,413 -It was an atrocity. 762 00:40:12,455 --> 00:40:15,792 Virtually everything was either not done 763 00:40:15,833 --> 00:40:18,711 or done in the wrong place. 764 00:40:19,587 --> 00:40:22,382 Anybody with any basic understanding of anatomy 765 00:40:22,423 --> 00:40:24,801 wouldn't have done what he did. 766 00:40:24,842 --> 00:40:30,348 -In my entire career, I haven't seen one doctor 767 00:40:30,390 --> 00:40:34,644 with this many seriously bad complications, 768 00:40:34,685 --> 00:40:36,646 and he managed to pull that off 769 00:40:36,687 --> 00:40:40,191 in just three surgeries over the course of three days. 770 00:40:40,233 --> 00:40:44,904 ** 771 00:41:29,657 --> 00:41:35,204 -The consistency of Duntsch's lack of remorse 772 00:41:35,246 --> 00:41:37,457 is what we would see 773 00:41:37,498 --> 00:41:41,502 in more of a psychopathic, sociopathic case. 774 00:41:41,544 --> 00:41:44,756 -And Mary Efurd has limited paralysis. 775 00:41:44,797 --> 00:41:47,550 The nerve roots atrophied and disappeared 776 00:41:47,592 --> 00:41:50,595 and won't ever come back. 777 00:41:50,636 --> 00:41:53,723 -These are such catastrophic events. 778 00:41:53,765 --> 00:41:57,101 He's operating in areas he doesn't belong in. 779 00:41:57,143 --> 00:42:02,065 No surgeon would ever even go to the places he went. 780 00:42:02,106 --> 00:42:06,486 -It may be that he did not know how to do that operation. 781 00:42:10,198 --> 00:42:14,911 -He walked into those ORs knowing what he didn't know. 782 00:42:15,828 --> 00:42:17,455 -I doubted whether or not 783 00:42:17,497 --> 00:42:21,292 Dr. Duntsch was a trained surgeon. 784 00:42:21,334 --> 00:42:26,214 I doubted whether or not he was a physician, period. 785 00:42:27,298 --> 00:42:29,092 -Robert Henderson couldn't imagine 786 00:42:29,133 --> 00:42:32,595 how anyone who had been through any surgical training 787 00:42:32,637 --> 00:42:35,264 could do a job this bad. 788 00:42:35,306 --> 00:42:37,100 -I thought he was an imposter. 789 00:42:37,141 --> 00:42:42,355 ** 790 00:42:42,397 --> 00:42:47,610 ** 791 00:42:47,652 --> 00:42:49,278 -Who is this guy? 792 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,698 **