Former thoracic surgeon and medical researcher Paolo Macchiarini had a distinguished career in regenerative medicine. But it was eventually discovered that it was all a hoax.
ABC 20/20 True Lies introduces Paolo Macchiarini, a former thoracic surgeon who implanted plastic tracheae into the human chest. At first the operation was well received, but eventually every patient began to die.
In 2011, Paolo Macchiarini performed the first synthetic organ transplant in history at Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital, leading everyone to believe that medical procedures had been taken to a new level. Patients lost patience while waiting for donors when he combined stem cells with plastic air tubes.
Paolo Macchiarini: who is he? How did he act?
Former surgeon and medical researcher Paolo Macchiarini works at Karolinska University Hospital.
Macchiarini, an Italian born in Switzerland, grew up there. Nevertheless, he was employed by the Swedish Karolinska Institute. At the time, he was widely regarded as a visionary and pioneer of transplant surgery.
In 2011, he successfully performed the first synthetic organ transplant in history by implanting stem cells into a plastic trachea. A graduate student who died two and a half years after becoming his first victim.
Another patient was operated on in the same year but died shortly thereafter. A 20-year-old who underwent surgery in 2011 died in 2017. Several people were treated abroad and also died.
Macchiarini was subsequently expelled from the Karolinska Institute and began a prison sentence. However, he was acquitted of all charges.
Paolo Machhiarini and Benita Alexander, his mistress
Who is Benita Alexander, the wife and children of Paolo Macchiarini?
During his career as a surgeon, Paolo Macchiarini was married to an Italian.
However, he used to have affairs as his marital status was unknown. The doctor tried to seduce other women while proclaiming to everyone that he was unmarried.
And one of them is Benita Alexander. When the network asked her to make a documentary proposal, she was a news producer at NBC. After that, she pitched to Paolo Macchiarini and “Dateline” would lead the story.
Alexander began an affair with the surgeon around this time. However, she eventually found out about his past connections. In addition to his 30-year-old wife, he had a second lover.
Benita is also interviewed on ABC 20/20 and talks about how she participated in his process to gain closure.