After hurting innocent patients for far too long and botching surgeries, orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch, faces prison time. February 2017, former spinal orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Duntsch, has been sentenced to life in prison for maiming patients by leaving some paralyzed and the negligent murder of two others. He has been convicted of five accounts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and harming an elderly patient. Now, after his imprisonment, former patients are filing lawsuits and complaints against orthopedic surgeons of Northern Texas. The main trend in the complaints to the State are alleging that surgeons place profit over the overall well-being of his patient’s quality of life.
Mr. Steven Pennington of Royce City was another patient who passed away due to medical negligence. His story has been shared. On July 22, 2015, after two decades of back pain, Mr. Pennington passed away from, what the autopsy revealed, sudden cardiac death during his second back surgery. Mr. Pennington’s family blames, former Collin County’s best spinal surgeon, Dr. Stephen Courtney. The family claims that Dr. Courtney profited off Mr. Pennington by using his own surgical implants during surgery. The previously celebrated Dr. Courtney is the co-founder of Eminent Spine – the company whose slogan is “Bad to the Bone.” Eminent Spine designs and delivers surgical hardware such as the “Copperhead,” the “King Cobra,” the “Diamondback,” and the “Python.”
The company’s website states that Dr. Courtney claims that they use the product every day, on every patient. The company has advertised that Eminent Spine offers quality products at a significantly lower cost that benefits everyone in healthcare. However, according to multiple lawsuits and complaints on file with the Texas Medical Board, those devices have been improperly implanted in patient’s spines when they are not medically indicated. Another former patient, Bryan Taylor of Collinsville, hurt his back in November 2014 and was diagnosed with a herniated disc for which he received a steroid injection. When the pain did not recede after a few treatments, Mr. Taylor was referred to Dr. Courtney who, according to the suit, wanted to operate using the Python.
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines recommend that a patient should receive six months of non-operative treatment prior to performing surgery; yet, medical records show Mr. Taylor received only two months. The FDA guidelines also say the Python should be secured in place with supplemental fixation to avoid slip. But, according to Mr. Taylor’s attorney, Kelly Liebbe, supplemental fixation was not used. Hence, Dr. Courtney did not follow FDA protocols resulting in medical negligence because after four months, Mr. Taylor’s x-ray showed the Python’s spacer had shifted. At this time, Dr. Courtney operated on Mr. Taylor’s back again by re-installing the Python in the same manner as before. Then in June 2015, Dr. Courtney performed a third surgery on Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Taylor got a second opinion, and Dr. Courtney’s device was removed.
The outcomes for these individuals have all been negative, and there is now an open investigation into Dr. Courtney’s medical practices. If you have also experienced similar medical negligence by your medical doctor and would like to see what your legal options, contact us at Wormington and Bollinger today.