Fatal Blunder: Patient, 70, Bled to Death After Surgeon ‘Mistakenly’ Removed Liver Instead of Spleen
William Bryan (left) complained of side pain while at their rental property in Florida. Doctors urged him to have surgery to remove his spleen, but during the procedure, a doctor removed his liver, officials said.
Sept. 5 2024, Published 3:32 p.m. ET
An Alabama man reportedly died last month when a hospital in Florida mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen during surgery, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
William Bryan, 70, and his wife were at their rental property in Okaloosa County, Florida, when Bryan suffered pain in his left side, the Miami Herald reported.
An Alabama man allegedly had his liver removed instead of spleen during a recent surgery, officials said.
The couple went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, where doctors urged Bryan to have surgery to avoid serious health complications, according to Joe Zarzour, the attorney representing Bryan’s widow.
On Aug. 21, Bryan was scheduled to undergo a laparoscopic splenectomy, according to Zarzour.
Doctors urged the man to have the surgery to avoid serious health complications.
However, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is accused of accidentally removing his liver during the procedure.
In doing so, Shaknovsky severed a major artery, which led to Bryan’s sudden blood loss and death, officials said.
Authorities said they searched the property and found the 'completely' dismembered body in a vehicle on the property.
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While Shaknovsky allegedly listed Bryan’s organ as a spleen, Zarzour said Dr. Robert Blanchard, a surgical pathologist at the hospital, determined it was a liver.
In his report, Blanchard described the organ as a “grossly identifiable” liver that was partially torn, authorities said.
The widow of the patient is seeking civil and criminal proceedings after the surgeon's error.
After the surgery was done, Shaknovsky allegedly talked with Bryan’s wife, saying Bryan’s spleen was four times larger than average and had shifted to the other side of his body.
However, Zarzour said the spleen — which was not removed — had a small cyst on it, officials said.
According to sources, Bryan’s widow plans on filing a lawsuit after a pre-litigation process takes place. She is seeking civil and criminal proceedings surrounding her husband’s death.
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“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky,” she said in a statement. “I don’t want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital that should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes.”
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, a non-profit Catholic health care system that has 140 hospitals in the U.S., said in a statement that they "take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event.”
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