DESTIN, FL – In a severe medical mishap, a vacationer from Alabama lost his life in Florida when a surgeon erroneously removed his liver instead of his spleen, as reported by the victim’s family. William Bryan, 70, was in the Florida panhandle when he experienced acute lower abdominal pain.
Medical staff at the Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital were concerned about potential abnormalities with his spleen and admitted him for further checks. General surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christopher Bacani advised an emergency operation at the hospital.
As per the account from Zarzaur Law P.A., Bryan underwent a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy procedure on Aug. 21. Mid-operation, Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. This caused a rapid and fatal loss of blood.
Adding further to the misjudgment, the removed organ was wrongly labeled as a ‘spleen’. The error was only discovered after Bryan’s death.
Contrary to Shaknovsky’s assertion to the victim’s wife that Bryan’s ‘spleen’ was unnaturally large and misplaced, in a typical human anatomy, the liver is positioned on the upper right side of the abdominal cavity, while the spleen is found on the upper left side. The liver is significantly larger than the spleen.
The law firm handling Bryan’s case alleges that in the previous year, Dr. Shaknovsky had committed another wrong-site surgery. The surgeon supposedly excised part of the pancreas instead of addressing the adrenal gland as initially intended.
Beverly Bryan, now a widow, has sought the law firm’s assistance to acquire “justice” for her husband and to prevent any potential future patients from falling victim to such errors. While aiming for a lawsuit, Beverly Bryan is also advocating for a criminal investigation into her husband’s death.
North Walton Doctor’s Hospital has reportedly disassociated itself from Dr. Shaknovsky. On its part, the hospital where the operation occurred is investigating the incident and committed to patient safety.