Florida surgeon, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, is in hot water after he allegedly removed a patient's liver rather than spleen, which resulted in catastrophic blood loss and the death of a 70-year-old man.
William Bryan was visiting Florida with his wife when he began experiencing severe abdominal pain.
He was soon hospitalized and diagnosed with a spleen abnormality.
Despite reservations, Bryan and his wife were persuaded by Dr. Shaknovsky and the hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Christopher Bacani, that immediate surgery was necessary.
The splenectomy was scheduled for August 2024 at the Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach.
During the operation, Dr. Shaknovsky reportedly removed Bryan's liver, mistaking it for the spleen.
Following the procedure, the doctor told Bryan's wife that the organ was severely diseased and that it had enlarged to four times its normal size, causing it to migrate to the side of the body, according to The Express Tribune.
The mistake was only discovered after Bryan's death, when it was confirmed that the spleen was still intact while the liver had been wrongly extracted.
Bryan's wife, Beverly Bryan, has since filed a lawsuit against the doctor and the hospital, citing gross negligence and malpractice.
The lawsuit also notes a previous incident in 2023 where Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly removed part of a patient's pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenal gland resection, heightening further concerns about his competence.
