Fatal experiments : the downfall of a supersurgeon. Part 3: the labyrinth of truth.

The last in a three-part series about renowned Italian surgeon, Paolo Macchiarini. He aimed to revolutionise medicine by creating a new type of synthetic organ which could save thousands of lives but ended up accused of falsifying medical documents and using terminally ill patients as human guinea pigs. In this part, Lindquist speaks directly to Macchiarini. The episode begins with a recap of the story so far, including contributions from Macchiarini's fellow staff at the Karolinska Institute. By 2013, many of his colleagues became concerned about serious issues with Macchiarini's plastic tracheas and he was reported for falsification; Bengt Gerdin was tasked to compare Macchiarini's scientific papers with his actual clinical records and concluded that Macchiarini was guilty of scientific falsification. The Vice Chancellor of the Karolinska Institute, Anders Hamsten, declared this allegation incorrect leaving Macchiarini free to continue his work. The episode then alternates between with segments of Lindquist's last interview with Macchiarini and archive footage of Macchiarini's patients (especially Andemariam Beyene and Julia Tuulik) as well as interview footage with some of Macchiarini's colleagues. The major points in question are whether or not the artificial tracheas were ever tested on animals before human transplantation was attempted, how much patients were kept in the dark about the risks of the procedure and the major discrepancies between the medical outcome of the surgery and the outcomes depicted in Macchiarini's articles. Following the broadcast of this documentary in Sweden, Hamsten resigned as Vice President of the Karolinska Institute and Macchiarini had his contract and research terminated and may be charged for voluntary manslaughter. The programme ends by asking how universities could have allowed this to happen - is the reputation of a medical establishment worth more than a human life?