A man has tragically died after a Florida surgeon allegedly removed the wrong organ.
Last month, William Bryan went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Florida, after experiencing sudden pain in his side while he was visiting his rental property in Okaloosa County with his wife Beverly, as reported by The New York Post.
According to law firm Zarzaur Law, General Surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky and Dr. Christopher Bacani, the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, allegedly found that the problem was due to an issue with the 70-year-old's spleen, and are said to have advised him to allow them to carry out an operation.
The firm, which is representing William's widow, claims that the pensioner was warned he "could experience serious complications if he left the hospital" by the doctors.
William agreed with the medics and underwent a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy procedure on August 21.
In the middle of the surgery, Shaknovsky allegedly wrongfully designated the man's liver as his spleen and cut through blood vessels that were connected to the organ - resulting in him suffering "immediate and catastrophic blood loss, resulting in death," as cited by The Post.
Following the surgery, the doctor told Beverly that her husband's "spleen was so diseased that it was four times bigger than usual and had migrated to the other side of (his) body," the firm said, per Daily Mail.
The spleen, which is located on the upper left side of the abdomen next to the stomach, is smaller than the liver, which is located on the upper right side of the abdominal cavity.
Although William's spleen was never removed, an autopsy discovered that it had a small cyst on it, per the outlet.
William, who was a US Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War, was the father of three children and had eight grandchildren.
His widow Beverly retained the help of Zarzaur law firm to get “justice” for her late husband and is hoping the general surgeon no longer treats other people.
“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky. I don’t want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital that should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes,” Beverly said.
In her statement, Beverly also accused Shaknovsky of removing a patient's pancreas in 2023. Zarzaur Law claimed that the case was settled in confidence.
The grieving wife also added that she is pushing for both civil and criminal proceedings related to her husband’s death.
A spokesperson for Ascension said in a statement to USA Today that they were investigating William's death but wouldn’t share more information.
"We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event," they said. "Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2001.
"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 do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation," they added.
The law firm shared on Instagram that North Walton Doctor’s Hospital “disassociated” itself from Shaknovsky and has removed all pictures and references to the doctor from its website.
Our thoughts are with William's loved ones at this time.
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