Dr Thomas Shaknovsky Florida surgeon accused of removing the wrong organ during surgery for William Bryan, Alabama man as family lawyer seeks to file malpractice lawsuit and demand the doctor lose his license after removing liver instead of spleen.
An Alabama family have faulted a Florida doctor for removing the wrong organ of a 70 year old man, causing him to bleed on the operating table.
William Bryan,70, according to the man’s wife, Beverly died soon after Dr Thomas Shaknovsky removed her husband’s liver instead of his spleen. At the time of the operation, Bryan had traveled to Florida’s Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County to have the ‘necessary’ surgery performed.
Dr Shaknovsky, a surgeon at the hospital, performed the procedure after discussing the ‘risks, benefits and alternatives’ with Bryan and his wife according to USA Today.
‘Egregious medical malpractice’
The family have since retained a lawyer as they now plan to pursue legal action against both the surgeon and the Florida hospital.
‘I have the pleasure of representing Mrs. Bryan and her family. Unfortunately, we represent her in one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice that I’ve ever been involved with,’ Joe Zarzaur said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Responded a spokesperson for Ascension in an email: ‘We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event.’
‘Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2001,’ the statement continued. ‘Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation.’
Before the surgery, Bryan began suffering ‘severe abdominal pain’ while on vacation with his wife at their condo in Destin, Florida, according to Zarzaur. Shaknovsky diagnosed him with hemoperitoneum and splenic injury, or bleeding of the spleen, the operative report stated.
Beverly Bryan initially elected to hold off on surgery until the couple got back to their home in Alabama, only for Shaknovsky to allegedly tell her that her husband would bleed to death if he was transported in his current condition, Zarzaur said.
Previous surgery mishap case settled
During the surgery on Aug. 21, Bryan died from massive blood loss after the removal of the ‘large’ spleen, according to the operative report.
Following the procedure, a pathologist realized that the removed organ labeled ‘spleen’ was actually liver tissue, according to Zarzaur. Once an autopsy was done on Bryan, the medical examiner determined that his liver was gone and his spleen was still in his body with a cyst attached to it, the attorney said.
Offered Zarzaur, ‘It was a fairly routine-looking cyst. It probably would have been very treatable.’
The Bryan family are now blaming the ‘incompetence’ of Dr Shaknovsky and the negligence of Ascension Hospital. The family also called the husband’s death, ‘unnecessary and brutal.’
A complaint has not been filed as of Tuesday because, per Florida law, a six to nine-month pre-suit process must take place before filing a formal medical malpractice lawsuit with the court, Zarzaur said. Bryan’s family and Zarzaur do intend to file a lawsuit, but the current cause for concern is that Shaknovsky may still be practicing medicine, according to the attorney.
‘This doctor was still treating patients, and apparently still had access to hospitals and operating rooms, which I don’t think he should,’ Zarzaur said. ‘Mrs. Bryan obviously doesn’t feel like he should ever step foot in a hospital or operating room ever again.’
According to the family attorney, it could take months before a medical board elects to revoke Shaknovsky’s medical license.
A criminal investigation is also underway concerning Bryan’s death, Zarzaur said, adding that all questions about the matter should be directed to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
To date no criminal charges have been filed pending ongoing investigations.
But there’s more.
Shaknovsky in 2023 settled a surgical mishap case in which he intended to take out an adrenal gland off somebody’s kidney, only to end up taking out a part of their pancreas, Zarzaur said.
The case was settled during the pre-suit process for a confidential amount, so no lawsuit was filed against the surgeon or Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, according to the attorney.
It remained unclear how much the Bryan family planned to sue against both the doctor and Florida hospital and what a court would judge for the plaintiff if the matter were to go to trial.
