Guilty verdict for neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch for causing 'injury to an elderly person' — 5 things to know

Spine

On Feb. 14, 2017, Christopher Duntsch, MD, PhD, a former neurosurgeon practicing in Plano, Texas, received a guilty verdict for a count of "injury to an elderly person," CBS DFW reports. 

Here are five things to know:

 

1. The 44-year-old neurosurgeon faces anywhere from five years to 99 years or life in prison or probation, according to the report. The trial continues today to determine Dr. Duntsch's sentencing.

 

2. The jury determined Dr. Duntsch demonstrated "malicious and reckless actions" during a botched spinal surgery on an elderly patient, CBS DFW reports. He performed the surgery at Dallas Medical Center in 2012, according to D Magazine.

3. Prosecutors alleged Dr. Duntsch caused harm to more than 30 patients, according to D Magazine.

 

4. Dr. Duntsch lost his medical license in 2013 after witnesses filed a criminal complaint related to the surgeon's behavior. In 2015, he was indicted on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of "injury to an elderly person" for his actions during surgery, according to a WFAA report. Each of the six charges were related to patients who died or were "scarred for life" as a result of their procedure, according to WFAA.

5. Dr. Duntsch earned his medical degree and doctor of philosophy from Memphis-based University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and completed his minimally invasive spine surgery fellowship at Memphis-based Semmes-Murphey Clinic.

 

 

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