In Sweden, a former Italian scientist is on trial for allegedly abusing patients by performing windpipe transplants.

Paolo Macchiarini is accused of causing the deaths of three patients on whom he performed surgery between 2011 and 2014. He has categorically denied any criminal activity.

The stem-cell surgeon was previously regarded as a pioneer in regenerative medicine, having performed the world’s first stem-cell windpipe transplants.

Macchiarini was recognised as a pioneer in regenerative medicine in 2011 when he created the world’s first trachea, which was partially manufactured from a patient’s own stem cells.

However, seven of the eight patients he treated in Sweden and Russia died.

Sweden decided to start an investigation into three surgeries he performed as a visiting researcher at the famed Karolinska Institute in Stockholm in December 2018.

After being accused of fabricating his resume and misrepresenting his work, Macchiarini was sacked from the hospital in March 2016 for violating medical ethics.

Critics claim that the surgeon violated medical ethics by performing risky treatments that had no demonstrated value, and that he invented descriptions of his patients’ ailments.

On Wednesday, he appeared in Solna District Court to face charges of “aggravated maltreatment” against three victims from Iceland, Turkey, and the United States.

“Paolo Macchiarini performed the procedure with blatant disdain for science and expertise,” prosecutor Karin Lundström-Kron told the court, claiming that the transplants had resulted in significant bodily injuries and suffering for the three patients.

Björn Hurtig, the surgeon’s defence lawyer, feels Macchiarini’s former workplace, Sweden’s famed Karolinska Institute, should be held accountable.

Macchiarini was sentenced to 16 months in jail in 2019 by an Italian court for forgery and abuse of office.

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