Known as The Evil Surgeon, Paolo Machiarini is an amazing doctor who revolutionized transplant medicine, but became very controversial when cases of patients having their organs replaced unnecessarily began to appear.
Discover the life and crimes of Paolo Macchiarini
Who is Dr. Paolo Macchiarini
Paolo Macchiarini is Italian, born on August 22, 1958, and became a famous thoracic surgeon. He was known by the scientific community as a great pioneer in stem cell research, even claiming to have developed synthetic organs that would be seeded with the patient's own stem cells. The innovation that promised to transform transplant medicine was the highlight of Macchiarini's career.
It was in 2011 that he became known, but his work had been going on for a long time. That year he publicly claimed to have performed the world's first synthetic trachea transplants, using stem cells, while working at the Karolinska University hospital in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.
Paolo Macchiarini's Love Life
Macchiarini is also complex in his love life. Officially he married Emanuela Pecchia in 1986. Despite this, he had a romantic relationship with Benita Alexander, an award-winning journalist for producing several TV documentaries.
Benita met Paolo in 2013, while working on the documentary A Leap Of Faith (2014) for the NBC, in which he followed the doctor's work. The journalist became engaged to the surgeon, but after becoming suspicious of some of Macchiarini's allegations, she discovered that he was already married with the help of a private investigator.
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The crimes of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini
The doctor's great achievement quickly became problematic. Accusations against Macchiarini began to emerge, with allegations that the transplant occurred in at least one case in which the person was not even seriously ill, so that the surgery was unnecessary.
In total, Macchiarini and his colleagues performed eight similar transplants between 2011 and 2014, three in Sweden in 2011 and 2012 and another five in Russia. Of the patients, all three of the Swedes died, and four of the Russians.
The doctor implanted plastic tracheas in patients around the world, several of whom died. According to data revealed by the magazine For Better Science, of every 10 patients who received a trachea transplant, only two survived. It was later discovered that Macchiarini lied about his research.
Paolo Macchiarini's accusation
Paolo was accused in a case during the period he worked at the hospital in Karolinska University, from 2011 to 2012. In 2013, the hospital ordered all trachea transplants to be suspended and refused to extend his contract as a surgeon. Macchiarini then began working at the institution's research center, from where he was fired in 2016, after an external review found him guilty of research misconduct the previous year. However, the University continued to defend the doctor until 2018, when its own review found him guilty. The scandal was so great that the university director and several other members resigned.
Trial and conviction of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini
In May 2022, Macchiarini's trial took place at the district court in Solna, Sweden. The accusation was of aggression against three patients, who died after the procedure and did not need surgery. The ruling highlighted that his first two patients could have survived for a significant period without the procedures performed by Macchiarini.
The doctor denied intending to harm his patients, saying his motivation was to help those without other treatment options.
At the time, the court agreed with the accusations, but acquitted the surgeon on two of the three counts: “Given the condition of the patients, the district court considers that the procedures on the first two patients were justifiable”, it was informed in a statement at the time. In the third case, he was found guilty of “causing minor bodily harm”. Thus, he was sentenced to a suspended sentence, which means, in Sweden, that if he committed just one more crime while on parole within two years, his sentence would be re-evaluated.
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In June 2023 the decision was re-evaluated and Paolo was found guilty of serious assault against the three patients. He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison by an appeal court in Stockholm.
Where is Dr. Paolo Macchiarini now?
An appeal against his conviction is currently underway at the Swedish Supreme Court. Macchiarini does not need to serve the sentence until the process is completed.
Works inspired by Paolo Macchiarini
The Netflix launched the documentary series on November 29, 2023 Evil Surgeon (Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife). The production divided into three chapters exposes Macchiarini's shocking medical negligence.
On December 22, 2023, the second season of Dr. Death, which this time is based on the life of Paolo Macchiarini (Édgar Ramirez), together with the investigative journalist Benita Alexander (Mandy Moore), who approaches him to write a report, the line between their personal and professional relationship begins to blur, until she discovers what Paolo is willing to do to protect his secrets. The first season of the series was inspired by Dr. Christopher Duntsch.
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