The chilling world of medical malpractice returns with Doctor Death Season 2, now streaming on Peacock. This season delves into the disturbing true story of Paolo Macchiarini, an Italian thoracic surgeon who was once celebrated for his groundbreaking work in synthetic organ transplants, only to be exposed as a fraud whose ambition led to tragedy. If Season 1 of Dr. Death left you reeling with the appalling case of Christopher Duntsch, Season 2 promises to be just as gripping, if not more so, as it uncovers a web of deceit that spans continents and shatters lives.
Based on the third season of Wondery’s acclaimed true-crime podcast of the same name, Doctor Death Season 2 casts Edgar Ramírez as Paolo Macchiarini, portraying his ascent to fame and the catastrophic fall that followed. This season isn’t just about medical errors; it’s a deep dive into intentional deception, where Macchiarini knowingly conducted experimental surgeries with devastating consequences, manipulated the medical community, and constructed a fantasy life that ensnared even those closest to him, including investigative producer Benita Alexander, played by Mandy Moore.
Before you dive into the dramatized retelling, let’s dissect the true events that inspired Doctor Death Season 2 and understand the horrifying reality behind the fiction.
The False Hope of Synthetic Tracheas: What Did Paolo Macchiarini Do?
Between 2011 and 2014, Paolo Macchiarini, then working at Sweden’s prestigious Karolinska University Hospital, performed a series of surgeries that promised a revolutionary future for organ transplantation. He implanted synthetic tracheas, or windpipes, into three patients, claiming these artificial organs, seeded with the patients’ own stem cells, would become functioning, living airways. This was heralded as a breakthrough in regenerative medicine. However, the reality was far from the promised miracle. Tragically, all three patients in Sweden died due to complications directly linked to these experimental procedures.
The scope of Macchiarini’s actions extended beyond Sweden. Reports indicate that he performed this dangerous and scientifically unsubstantiated procedure on as many as 20 individuals across various countries, including Spain, Russia, Iceland, Britain, and the United States. His initial acclaim as a pioneer rapidly dissolved as the devastating outcomes became undeniable.
Dr. Anders Svensson, Dr. Ana Lasbrey, and Dr. Nathan Gamelli in Dr. Death Season 2Dr. Death.
The tide began to turn in 2013 when four courageous colleagues at the Karolinska Institute – Karl-Henrik Grinnemo, Matthias Corbascio, Thomas Fux, and Oscar Simonson – raised serious concerns about Macchiarini’s work. Doctor Death Season 2 fictionalizes these individuals as Dr. Anders Svensson (Gustaf Hammarsten), Dr. Ana Lasbrey (Ashley Madekwe), and Dr. Nathan Gamelli (Luke Kirby), highlighting their crucial role in uncovering the truth.
As Grinnemo explained to Retraction Watch in 2017, their investigation started when they observed the dire post-operative condition of patients with artificial tracheas. Their inquiries into the scientific basis of Macchiarini’s claims were met with resistance and evasiveness, prompting them to file a formal complaint to halt the dangerous operations.
Initially, Karolinska Institute, keen on protecting its star surgeon, appeared to side with Macchiarini, dismissing the whistleblowers’ concerns. However, a documentary broadcast on Swedish national television in early 2016 brought the controversy to public attention, forcing the institute to launch a new investigation, which ultimately led to Macchiarini’s dismissal.
Grinnemo emphasized the significance of the documentary in stopping Macchiarini, stating, “Without the documentary, it would never have been possible to stop him. I’m really happy today knowing that he’s not performing any more operations in Europe and the United States.” The actions of these whistleblowers, depicted in Doctor Death Season 2, underscore the importance of ethical responsibility in medicine and the courage required to challenge even the most celebrated figures.
Benita Alexander: Love and Lies Under the Knife
The personal life of Paolo Macchiarini was as much a fabrication as his medical claims. In 2013, while producing the NBC News special A Leap of Faith, which ironically celebrated Macchiarini’s work, investigative producer Benita Alexander crossed professional boundaries and became romantically involved with the surgeon. The documentary focused on the case of Hannah Warren, a two-year-old who received a synthetic trachea transplant in Illinois but tragically died less than three months later.
Mandy Moore as Benita Alexander and Edgar Ramírez as Paolo Macchiarini in Dr. Death Season 2Dr. Death.
Macchiarini spun an elaborate fantasy for Alexander, promising a lavish wedding in Italy, attended by celebrities and officiated by the Pope. However, Alexander eventually uncovered the vast extent of Macchiarini’s lies, realizing she was a victim of his deception, much like his patients. Her story became a crucial part of exposing Macchiarini.
In a Vanity Fair exposé in 2016, Alexander detailed her experience, helping to dismantle Macchiarini’s carefully constructed image. She told USA Today that Macchiarini “fooled his patients very much the same way he fooled me,” highlighting his manipulative nature and the devastating impact of his deceit on both his professional and personal victims. This aspect of the story, dramatized in Doctor Death Season 2 with Mandy Moore’s portrayal of Alexander, adds another layer of complexity to the narrative, exploring the emotional fallout of Macchiarini’s actions.
Justice and Accountability: What Happened to Paolo Macchiarini?
The legal repercussions for Paolo Macchiarini have been a long and winding road. In 2022, he faced trial in Sweden, charged with “causing bodily harm” to the three patients who received synthetic tracheas at Karolinska. Initially, he was convicted on one count and received a suspended sentence, a decision that sparked public outrage. Doctor Death Season 2‘s ending title cards correctly note this initial lenient sentence.
However, the legal saga didn’t end there. In June 2023, a Swedish appeals court overturned the initial ruling, sentencing Macchiarini to 2.5 years in prison. The court emphasized that his patients “could have lived for a not-insignificant amount of time without the interventions,” underscoring the unnecessary suffering and deaths caused by his experimental surgeries.
Despite consistently denying any wrongdoing, Macchiarini’s appeals to Sweden’s supreme court were rejected. He is now expected to serve his prison sentence in Spain, where he currently resides. The conclusion of the real-life story, much like Doctor Death Season 2, serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of unchecked ambition and the critical importance of ethical conduct in medicine. For viewers drawn in by the gripping narrative of Doctor Death Season 2, the true story of Paolo Macchiarini offers a chilling and necessary lesson in medical ethics and the fragility of trust.
