Netflix has released a new documentary series titled Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife. Directed by Ben Steele, this three-episodic project sheds light on the practices of the infamous Swiss-Italian surgeon, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini.
Macchiarini shot to celebrity status for making groundbreaking developments in medicine. According to Guardian, he developed the world’s first plastic organs. In 2011, he introduced a surgical procedure to transplant a synthetic organ. Furthermore, this organ was lab-grown and was made from the patient’s own stem cells.
However, he was soon exposed for deception, fraud, and a number of false claims. He conducted experimental procedures on eight individuals between 2011 and 2014. Sadly, out of the eight, seven lost their lives after the procedure. After an external assessment in 2015, officials found him guilty of research misconduct.
The synopsis of Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife according to Tudum reads, “In the early aughts, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini was a big deal. He was rumored to be Barack Obama and the Pope’s surgeon. His advancements in his field were revolutionary. And outside of his career achievements, he was seemingly the perfect man — according to his former fiancée, investigative producer Benita Alexander. But why did Macchiarini’s patients keep dying?”
Is Dr. Paolo Macchiarini in prison?
According to National World, the court sentenced Macchiarini to two years and six months in prison for gross assault against three patients. In the years 2011 and 2012, he implanted implanted synthetic windpipes in these three patients.
Out of the three, one died within four months. The other two survived for two and a half and five years but suffered from painful complications before their demise. Furthermore, after Macchiarini’s ruling, he stated that his intention was not to harm his patients. In fact, he said that he only wanted to help those who had no other options.
Science reported that due to an appeal against his conviction to the Swedish High Court, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is free from prison until his sentence is finalized.
