A US man died because a doctor removed the wrong organ during surgery, the family says

The family of a 70-year-old Alabama man who died last month says his death was caused by a doctor who removed the wrong organ during surgery in Florida.

William Bryan, 70, and his wife Beverly were visiting their rental property in Okaloosa County this summer when Bryan suddenly began experiencing pain in his left side, according to the law firm representing the wife of home, Beverly. Bryan went to the hospital, and was admitted for further studies based on concerns about an abnormality in the spleen.

The family says Bryan and his wife were initially reluctant to go ahead with the surgery in Florida, but were persuaded by doctors at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County. They say they were told Bryan could have serious problems if he leaves the hospital.

On August 21, 2024, the family says the surgeon, Dr Thomas Shaknovsky, proceeded with a manual laparoscopic splenectomy.

During the operation, the family’s attorney claims that the doctor removed Bryan’s liver, and in doing so, “severed the major arteries that supply the liver, which caused the loss of blood which immediately resulted in death”.

The surgeon, the family says, “went on to say that the liver removed was the ‘spleen’, and it was only after the death that it was realized that the organ removed was the liver of Bryan, unlike the spleen”.

It is reported that the doctor told Beverly after the operation that the “spleen” was so sick that it was four times larger than usual and had moved to the other side of Bryan’s body.

“Normal anatomy dictates that the liver is on one side of the abdomen, and is several times larger than the spleen,” reads a statement from a lawyer representing Bryan’s family. .

The family was informed that Bryan’s spleen, the source of his initial symptoms when he was taken to the hospital, was still in his body and appeared to have a small rash on it. you.

The lawyer said the doctor performed a “wrong operation in 2023 where he mistakenly removed part of the patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenal gland resection”.

The lawyer said the case was settled in confidence and the doctor remained a surgeon.

Beverly hired a lawyer after her husband died, to get “justice for her husband,” the law firm said in a statement.

“She does not want this doctor to continue treating patients,” said her attorney, who added that Beverly wanted both criminal and civil charges filed in her husband’s death.

In her statement, Beverly said: “My husband died helplessly on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky. I don’t want anyone else to die because of his incompetence at that hospital. when he should have known or known that he had made big mistakes, which changed the life of surgery.”

As of Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported that Shaknovsky has not been charged with a crime and has no disciplinary proceedings or civil complaints against his file. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Miami Herald.

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital said in a statement sent to the Guardian that it “takes[s] Allegations like this are very serious, and our leadership team is conducting a thorough investigation into this incident”.

They 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 are not talking about special patient cases or practical cases. ”

Bryan and Beverly were married for 33 years, and had three children and eight grandchildren, according to his obituary from August. He worked as a boilermaker and was a Marine who served in Vietnam.