The surgeon accused of removing the wrong organ, killing his patient on the operating table has had his license suspended by the Florida Department of Health.
One month after the deadly incident, the FDOH issued an emergency order revoking Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky's license Tuesday after he allegedly cut out 70-year-old William Bryan's liver instead of his spleen Aug. 21, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Miramar, Florida.
Investigators determined allowing Shaknovsky to continue practicing medicine would present an "immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare, and safety of the public" and "due to the scope and severity of the issues with Dr. Shaknovsky's treatment of patients," anything less would be "inadequate to protect the public," according to the health department's report obtained by The Destin Log.
While on the operating table, Bryan suffered an aneurysm and "due to his (Shaknovsky's) shock and the chaos of the situation, he was unable to properly identify the organ he removed and assumed it must be the spleen."
In his report, Shaknovsky allegedly claimed Bryan's spleen was "grossly enlarged and deformed and that the liver was in an unusual location, contributing to his misidentification," according to the FDOH, the outlet reported.
The doctor's report was allegedly marred with "deceptive and untrue statements that failed to accurately describe what occurred in the procedure"
Bryan and his wife were visiting from Alabama when he began to experience pain on his left side. He underwent emergency surgery, purportedly at Shaknovsky's recommendation, according to his widow's attorney.
"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 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," a statement from personal injury law firm Zarzaur Law read.
In a similar incident in 2023, Shaknovsky mistakenly removed a portion of a patient's pancreas instead of his adrenal gland.
Shaknovsky argued the patient's "adrenal gland had 'migrated' to a different part of the body," according to the report. The FDOH said the patient "suffered long-term permanent harm as a result of Dr. Shaknovsky's error."
