A Florida surgeon, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, is facing a lawsuit after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen during a routine surgery. The fatal error occurred during a scheduled splenectomy in August 2024 at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, leading to the death of 70-year-old William Bryan.
Bryan, who was visiting Florida with his wife, began experiencing abdominal pain and was diagnosed with a spleen abnormality. Despite initial hesitation, Bryan and his wife agreed to the surgery after assurances from Dr. Shaknovsky. However, the surgeon mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver, causing catastrophic blood loss.
The mistake was only discovered posthumously, leading Bryan’s wife, Beverly, to file a lawsuit against the surgeon and the hospital for gross negligence. The lawsuit also references a previous incident where Dr. Shaknovsky made a similar error during another surgery in 2023, raising concerns about his medical competency.