An Alabama man, who underwent surgery in Florida, has died on the operating table after a surgeon allegedly removed the man’s liver instead of his spleen by mistake, according to the law firm for the man’s widow.
William Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were on a visit to their rental property in Florida when he began experiencing “left-sided flank pain, according to a statement issued by personal injury firm Zarzaur Law, which is based in Pensacola Florida.
Bryan was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation and underwent surgery on Aug. 21, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Miramar after being diagnosed with spleen abnormalities, according to the statement.
“The family was reluctant to proceed with surgery in Florida but were persuaded by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, General Surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, Chief Medical Officer of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, that Mr. Bryan could experience serious complications if he left the hospital,” the statement read.
According to Beverly Bryan’s lawyer, Joe Zarzaur, both surgeons were involved in the decision-making process on Bryan’s procedure, which led to Shaknovsky performing a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy on the patient, ultimately allegedly resulting in his death.
According to the statement, Shaknovsky allegedly removed the liver instead of the spleen, which caused major blood loss in the patient.
“Dr. Shaknovsky removed Mr. Bryan’s liver and, in so doing, transected the major vasculature supplying the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death,” the statement said.”
“The surgeon proceeded with labeling the removed liver specimen as a ‘spleen,’ and it wasn’t until following the death that it was identified that the organ removed was actually Mr. Bryan’s liver, as opposed to the spleen.”
According to Zarzaur, Shaknovsky told Beverly Bryan after the procedure that her husband’s spleen was so diseased that it was four times bigger than normal. Moreover, this had caused the organ to move to the other side of his body, as per the statement.
However, the liver is typically located on the opposite side of the abdomen. It is also significantly larger than a spleen, according to Zarzaur.
By comparison, the typical size of a human spleen is approximately that of an avocado, while the liver is much larger, around the size of a football, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“The family was informed that Mr. Bryan’s spleen, the root of his original symptom profile upon presentation to the hospital, was still in his body and appeared with a small cyst on its surface,” according to the statement.
NTD has reached out to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital for a statement on the incident but did not hear back before publication time.
According to Zarzaur, it’s not the first time Shaknovsky was involved in a medical controversy with a patient. In 2023, a similar mistake occurred when Shaknovsky allegedly removed portions of a pancreas instead of an adrenal gland. The case was settled out of court, Zarzaur said.
It’s still unclear whether Shaknovsky and Bacani will remain employed by the hospital.
According to Zarzaur, Beverly Bryan hired the law firm to get justice for her husband while also hoping to ensure that Shaknovsky will not be allowed to perform any more surgeries or treat patients amid efforts to enact criminal and civil proceedings against him.
“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky. 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,” she said, as per the statement.
The case has also prompted an investigation by Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
NTD has contacted the sheriff’s office for further information on the investigation.