Tracheal transplant surgeon may have Overstepped.

A transplant surgeon from Sweden who is best known for his tracheal stem-cell infused tracheal transplants has been accused of misconduct. 

Dr. Paolo Macchiarini was the subject of a Page 1 New York Times article "A First: Organs Tailor-Made With Body’s Own Cells" printed in 2012:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/health/research/scientists-make-progress-in-tailor-made-organs.html 
Dr. Macchiarini has been transplanting plastic scaffolds that are designed specifically to fit the patient and are seeded with hematopoietic stem cells.  


Pictures of the design, manufacturing, and implantation of a hematopoietic stem cell infused artificial trachea.  

       Mr. Beyene.

One of his most famous cases involved the design, construction, and implantation of a trachea into an Eritrean man in Iceland named Mr. Andemariam Beyene. A mass was discovered in Mr. Beyene's trachea and a traditional surgical intervention was performed. The surgeons were unable to fully resect the mass and Mr. Beyene continued to present with masses in his Trachea. Mr. Beyene received a hematopoietic stem cell infused trachea in March of 2012. As of November 2012 the New York Times reported that Mr. Beyene was five months out from his surgery and implant was progressing well. 

This report is in contrast with a report by the New York Times in November of 2014 announcing that Dr. Macchiarini was under investigation by Karolinska Institute, which issues the Nobel Prize in Medicine, for misconduct. It has recently come to light that Dr. Macchiarini's patients do not have acceptable long term outcomes. Mr. Beyene, whom was the patient in the 2012 article died in January of 2014 from complications involving his 2012 tracheal transplant. He spent the final eight months of his life as an inpatient for management of his tracheal implant. Mr. Beyene and a number of patients who received tracheal implants from Dr. Macchiarini have died in in the years immediately following their implants. One patient required a procedure to clear their airway every four hours for months prior to succumbing to the complications. Additional scrutiny is being directed to Dr. Macchiarini because only a single patient, Mr. Beyene, signed a consent. Mr. Beyene's consent was also signed after the surgery. The accusations that Dr. Macchiarini is facing are serious and detailed. It seems that this surgeon may have been overzealous in his pursuit and his patients have paid the cost. 

sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/health/research/scientists-make-progress-in-tailor-made-organs.html?pagewanted=2

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/world/leading-surgeon-is-accused-of-misconduct-in-experimental-transplant-operations.html?_r=0