Surgeon: Alabama man dies after Florida surgeon mistakenly removes liver instead of spleen
William Bryan, a 70-year-old Man from Alabama tragically died during an operation in Florida after surgeon mistakenly removed his liver and then tried to pass the organ off as an “enlarged spleen,” according to the lawyer for the man’s widow.
Bryan was living in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and visiting his rental property in Okaloosa County, Florida, with his wife, Beverly, when he suddenly felt severe pain in the left side of his abdomen.
Bryan was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County over concerns about a possible spleen abnormality, as Zarzaur Law PA detailed in a social media post.
General surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky and the hospital’s chief physician, Dr. Christopher Bacani, advised Bryan and his family to undergo immediate surgery to avoid serious complications.
On August 21, Bryan reluctantly agreed to undergo a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy.
During the procedure, however, Dr. Shaknovsky accidentally removed Bryan’s liver, severing key blood vessels in the process. The surgical incision resulted in “immediate and catastrophic blood loss, resulting in death,” the post said.
After the general surgeon mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver, he labeled the organ as a “spleen.” However, the organ was not identified as a liver until after the man’s death, according to the New York Post.
Dr. Shaknovsky later told Beverly Bryan that her husband’s “spleen” had become seriously diseased, had grown to four times its normal size, and had shifted to the other side of his body.
This explanation contradicted basic anatomical knowledge, since the liver is located in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity, while the spleen, which is significantly smaller and lighter than the liver, is located in the upper left part.
Zarzaur Law PA also revealed that Dr. Shaknovsky had committed several surgical errors in the past, including an incident in 2023 in which he allegedly removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of the intended adrenal gland. That case was reportedly settled confidentially.
Beverly Bryan, devastated by the loss of her husband, has hired Zarzaur Law to seek justice.
Expressing her determination to prevent Dr. Shaknovsky from operating on any more patients, she stated: “My husband died helpless on the operating table due to Dr. Shaknovsky’s incompetence. I do not want anyone else to suffer the same fate in a hospital that should have known about his previous, life-changing surgical errors.”
She is now pursuing both civil and criminal actions related to her husband’s death. In response to the incident, North Walton Doctor’s Hospital has distanced itself from Dr. Shaknovsky and removed his photos and testimonials from its website.
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital is currently conducting an internal investigation but declined to provide specific details.
In a statement provided to AL.com, the hospital emphasized its commitment to patient safety and privacy, saying, “We take allegations such as this very seriously and our leadership team is conducting a thorough investigation of this incident. Patient safety is and will remain our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
After William Bryan’s death, a small cyst was discovered on his spleen and is believed to have been the cause of the pain that led to his hospitalization.
Bryan was living in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and visiting his rental property in Okaloosa County, Florida, with his wife, Beverly, when he suddenly felt severe pain in the left side of his abdomen.
Bryan was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County over concerns about a possible spleen abnormality, as Zarzaur Law PA detailed in a social media post.
General surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky and the hospital’s chief physician, Dr. Christopher Bacani, advised Bryan and his family to undergo immediate surgery to avoid serious complications.
On August 21, Bryan reluctantly agreed to undergo a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy.
During the procedure, however, Dr. Shaknovsky accidentally removed Bryan’s liver, severing key blood vessels in the process. The surgical incision resulted in “immediate and catastrophic blood loss, resulting in death,” the post said.
After the general surgeon mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver, he labeled the organ as a “spleen.” However, the organ was not identified as a liver until after the man’s death, according to the New York Post.
Dr. Shaknovsky later told Beverly Bryan that her husband’s “spleen” had become seriously diseased, had grown to four times its normal size, and had shifted to the other side of his body.
This explanation contradicted basic anatomical knowledge, since the liver is located in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity, while the spleen, which is significantly smaller and lighter than the liver, is located in the upper left part.
Zarzaur Law PA also revealed that Dr. Shaknovsky had committed several surgical errors in the past, including an incident in 2023 in which he allegedly removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of the intended adrenal gland. That case was reportedly settled confidentially.
Beverly Bryan, devastated by the loss of her husband, has hired Zarzaur Law to seek justice.
Expressing her determination to prevent Dr. Shaknovsky from operating on any more patients, she stated: “My husband died helpless on the operating table due to Dr. Shaknovsky’s incompetence. I do not want anyone else to suffer the same fate in a hospital that should have known about his previous, life-changing surgical errors.”
She is now pursuing both civil and criminal actions related to her husband’s death. In response to the incident, North Walton Doctor’s Hospital has distanced itself from Dr. Shaknovsky and removed his photos and testimonials from its website.
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital is currently conducting an internal investigation but declined to provide specific details.
In a statement provided to AL.com, the hospital emphasized its commitment to patient safety and privacy, saying, “We take allegations such as this very seriously and our leadership team is conducting a thorough investigation of this incident. Patient safety is and will remain our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
After William Bryan’s death, a small cyst was discovered on his spleen and is believed to have been the cause of the pain that led to his hospitalization.
