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A Florida doctor has been accused of removing the wrong organ from a man, causing his death. The family of 70-year-old William “Bill” Bryan claimed that surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen, The Guardian reported. As of Wednesday, no charges have been filed against Shaknovsky, but the law firm hired by Bryan’s family said it intends to take the matter to court.
According to the law firm, Bryan visited Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital on August 18 after experiencing pain in his flank area. The patient and his wife, Beverly, were counseled on the “risks, benefits and alternatives” of the surgery before undergoing a splenectomy on August 21 under the supervision of surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky. However, instead of removing Bryan’s spleen as planned, the doctor removed his liver, leading to his untimely death.
“Dr. Shaknovsky removed Mr. Bryan’s liver, severing the major vascular system that supplies the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss that resulted in death,” the statement said. “The surgeon labeled the liver sample taken as a ‘spleen,’ and it was not until after death that it was determined that the organ removed was Mr. Bryan’s liver and not the spleen.”
The lawyers also claimed that Shaknovsky had a history of performing “wrong-site surgeries.” In 2023, the surgeon mistakenly removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenalectomy. The law firm claimed the matter was settled and the terms were not made public. Beverly Bryan stated she hired the legal team to seek “justice” for her husband.
In a statement, she said: “My husband died while lying helpless on Dr. Shaknovsky’s operating table. I do not want anyone else to die in a hospital due to his incompetence, when he should have known or knew that he had previously made drastic, life-changing surgical errors.” She is pursuing the case both civilly and criminally.
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital also issued a statement saying it “takes allegations of this nature very seriously and our leadership team is thoroughly investigating this incident.”
