Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach, Florida, was sued for mistakenly removing a patient’s liver during surgery, causing the patient’s death.

William Bryan, 70, and his wife Beverly of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, were in Florida when he began experiencing health problems. Bryan reportedly had pain on the left side of his abdomen and visited Dr. Shaknovsky’s hospital in Miramar Beach.

After some tests, it was discovered that he had problems with his spleen and a surgery was scheduled. According to their lawyers, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bryan wanted to undergo the surgery at Ascension Sacred Heart but were persuaded by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, general surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, chief medical officer. The duo made it clear to the couple that Mr. Bryan would suffer serious complications if he did not undergo the surgery quickly and hence they relented.

The splenectomy was performed on August 21, 2024, and that’s when everything went terribly wrong. For some reason, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky made a total mistake and removed William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. This resulted in severe blood loss that killed him on the operating table.

After the surgery, Dr. Shaknovsky referred to the liver as the “spleen” and informed Mrs. Bryan that her husband’s spleen had grown to four times its size and had migrated to the other side of his body due to the abnormality he suffered from.

However, upon further examination, it was found that Mr. Bryan’s spleen was intact, but there was a small cyst on its surface. It was also confirmed that his liver had been removed. Mrs. Bryan therefore hired attorney Joe Zarzaur of Zarzaur Law, PA to seek justice for her husband. Zarzaur Law has filed suit against Dr. Shaknovsky, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, and other defendants.

In the lawsuit, Zarzaur Law claims that the mistaken removal of Mr. Bryan’s liver is not the first major catastrophic error in Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky’s career. In 2023, he mistakenly removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenalectomy.

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Ms Bryan said: “My husband died while lying helpless on Dr. Shaknovsky’s operating table. I don’t want anyone else to die in a hospital because of his incompetence, when he should have known or knew that he had previously made drastic, life-changing surgical errors.”

Further details on the case are presented below by Joe Zarzaur…

Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, biography of the so-called liver doctor

Dr. Thomas J. Shaknovsky is an American general surgeon who received his undergraduate degree from Loyola University, his medical degree from Midwestern in Downers Grove, Illinois, and his residency in general surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.

During his sophomore year, Dr. Shaknovsky joined the U.S. Army. Several military training exercises on Florida’s Emerald Coast led to his growing love of the region. He is still a Major in the U.S. Army.

Dr. Shaknovsky has extensive training in performing minimally invasive/robotic surgery, endoscopy, wound care, and dialysis access.

After working as a general surgeon in southeast Alabama for four years, he decided to move to Florida in 2023. He joined Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital as a general surgeon and also worked with North Walton Doctors Hospital.

Thomas Shaknovsky is married with three children. He reportedly enjoys outdoor activities such as fishing and hiking. Dr. Shaknovsky is fluent in English and Russian.