Caliendo case, Oppido's defense: "A photo clears him of forgery charges."

Naples – A photograph extracted from forensic copies of the investigation documents could rewrite the chronology of the most critical moments of the dramatic heart transplant that killed little Domenico Caliendo. This is the argument being played by the defense team of cardiac surgeon Guido Oppido, who found himself at the center of the judicial investigation along with his assistant, Emma Bergonzoni, after the child's death on February 21 following the operation performed on December 23 at the Monaldi Hospital.

The battle over chronology and the issue of cardiomyopathy

The core of the legal debate revolves around the timing of the removal of the diseased organ (cardiectomy) and the arrival in the operating room of the new heart from a donor, which, according to subsequent analyses, was found to be damaged by dry ice. The operating report under scrutiny by the judiciary states that the removal of the old organ occurred "during" the arrival of the new heart. This version, according to the prosecution, conceals irregularities and omissions recorded in the records.

Key Images: What Defense Photos and Videos Tell Us

At the end of the hearing before the Review Court—called to decide on the appeal against the medical practice ban ordered by preliminary hearing judge Mariano Sorrentino—the surgeon's lawyers, Alfredo Sorge and Vittorio Manes, highlighted previously unseen visuals.

According to the defense, the frames and time sequences offer a truth opposite to the prosecution's:

14 hours: 26: The thermal boxes are already present in the operating room, confirming the arrival of the new organ.
14 hours: 31: An image extracted from the computer data clearly shows a healthcare worker with his hand inside the open box, intent on extracting the heart as smoke from the ice is released.
14 hours: 34: A subsequent video documents the organ already out of the container and endowed with contractile activity.

The judicial front and the next steps

For lawyers Sorge and Manes, this photographic evidence from 14:31 PM demolishes the investigative theory that the ward was still closed at 14:34 PM. The legal battle now shifts to the substance of the allegations of false medical records, with the Court of Appeal called to assess the legitimacy of the prohibitory measures temporarily keeping the professionals involved away from the ward.

The key points of the story

• The facts: Two-year-old Domenico Caliendo died on February 21st following a delicate heart transplant performed on December 23rd at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples.
• The damaged organ: At the heart of the investigation is the hypothesis that the donor's heart was compromised by contact with dry ice before being implanted by cardiac surgeon Guido Oppido.
• The charges and measures: The investigating judge Mariano Sorrentino has issued a ban from practicing medicine against Guido Oppido and his deputy Emma Bergonzoni, charging them with the crime of falsifying medical records regarding the management of operating times.
• The defense's (recent) turning point: During the preliminary hearing on September 21, 2026, the defense filed new forensic copies (photos and videos).

They argue that an image taken at 14:31 PM contradicts the prosecution's reconstruction of the times of the opening of the box and the cardioectomy, demonstrating that the organ was already being removed at the times contested in the reports.