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“Completely Heartbreaking”: Wife Loses Husband Of 33 Years After Surgeon Removes Wrong Organ
An Alabama man tragically lost his life at a Destin hospital after a surgeon mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen, leading to catastrophic blood loss. The incident left his wife of 33 years heartbroken and advocating for civil and criminal charges against the surgeon.
“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,” she said at a press conference.
Highlights
- An Alabama man died after a surgeon mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen.
- William Bryan's wife is advocating for civil and criminal charges against the surgeon.
- The same surgeon made a critical error in 2023, which was quietly settled.
- The hospital has not yet clarified whether the surgeon will continue working there.
The man, William Bryan, a 70-year-old from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was visiting his condo in Destin, Florida, when he began experiencing severe pain on his left side.
He was subsequently admitted to the Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach due to suspected spleen issues. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky operated on him on August 21, 2024, causing William to pass away on the operating table.
RELATED:
A 70-year-old man from Alabama lost his life in a Destin hospital after his surgeon mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen. His wife is pressing charges
Image credits: sudok1/stock.adobe.com
Beverly Bryan, his wife, felt that something was wrong when she received the initial diagnosis. Being a nurse, she wanted her husband to return home for the procedure, but both Dr. Shaknovsky and the hospital’s chief officer, Dr. Christopher Bacani, persuaded William to remain in Florida, telling them that moving that far could cause internal bleeding.
Bacani’s prediction would later become a reality, not because of any of the couple’s actions but due to his own team’s negligence.
Image credits: Zack Pinkard
“It’s one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice that I’ve ever been involved with,” stated the couple’s attorney, Joe Zarzaur. “The doctors kept suggesting that it was too dangerous to move him, that his spleen could rupture, and they needed to go forward with the procedure.”
Medical records provided by the attorney show that the doctor did not realize his mistake during the surgery and labeled the removed liver as a “spleen.” It wasn’t until a pathologist examined the tissue that the error was discovered, but it was already too late.
Image credits: Zack Pinkard
The source of William’s pain was actually a small cyst on his spleen, which is thought to have caused his initial discomfort. Dr. Shaknovsky instead cut the major vasculature supplying the liver, immediately causing his patient’s death.
Dr. Shaknovsky had already made a grave mistake while operating on another patient in 2023. The case was quietly settled for an undisclosed amount, according to investigations
Image credits: Zack Pinkard
Beverly’s case against the surgeon is supported by the fact that in 2023, the doctor had already made a critical surgical error.
He mistakenly removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing an adrenal gland resection. The case was quietly settled, and, despite the gravity of the mistake, Shaknovsky was allowed to continue his practice at the same hospital.
“I know I’m not the only wife that has lost her husband suddenly, but the loss of my Bill was exceptionally unnecessary and brutal,” Beverly stated, hoping that her pursuit of charges against the surgeon will result in him not being able to treat any other patients in the future.
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“Our family and community is devastated by what’s happened and we feel that it is our duty to spread awareness and warn others.”
The case is being investigated by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the District 1 Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Office of the State Attorney to determine if any criminal actions occurred.
The Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital issued a statement expressing its condolences and emphasizing its commitment to safety, but it made no comment on the status of the offending surgeon
Image credits: leibecki
“Our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event. We take allegations like this very seriously. Patient safety is and remains our number one priority,” the establishment said.
In his defense, Shaknovsky said that William’s spleen was so diseased that it was four times bigger than usual, causing it to migrate to the other side of the patient’s body. The attorney, however, believes this to be further proof of the surgeon’s mistake.
Image credits: Zack Pinkard
“Typical human anatomy dictates that the liver naturally exists on the opposite side of the abdominal cavity, and it is several times larger than the spleen,” Zarzaur said.
Despite the words of sympathy, the hospital has not made clear whether Shaknovsky will continue working at the premises, which worries the attorney.
View this post on Instagram
“I can’t tell you whether he’s practicing medicine as of today, but I know he’s been around in the last week or so,” Zarzaur stated.
“I think the major concern for me, and the reason I felt like a press release was necessary, was that this doctor was still treating patients and apparently still had access to hospitals and operating rooms, which I don’t think he should.”
Despite his previous mistake, the hospital hasn’t let the surgeon go, which angered readers who sympathized with the wife’s pain and helplessness
Image credits: Zack Pinkard
Netizens lamented the passing of William Bryan and offered their condolences to the grieving wife. Most also called for the immediate suspension of those responsible.
“This is so sad. The doctor should immediately be suspended and reported to the licensing board,” one stated.
“This is incredibly sad. I can’t imagine this ever happening. This guy should not only lose his license to practice any type of medicine but he should face charges,” another said.
“Completely heartbreaking for that family. Hopefully this doctor gets fired and faces criminal charges,” wrote one reader.
“This was the second ‘mistake‘ that the doctor had made. The first one settled for an undisclosed amount,” another pointed out.
“This doctor has done this before in another case in 2023. Why is he still allowed in a hospital setting? Why is he still allowed to treat patients!?” asked a reader in disbelief.
“Take this butcher’s license away,” wrote one reader, as others joined in to demand the removal of the surgeon from the hospital
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What do you think ?
Jessica SpeLangm 3 months ago
When I worked for a medical insurance company, we had a statement about "never events". These were things that happened, like to this person, that was the fault of the doctor or hospital and caused more medical issues than was supposed to happen. When it was determined that it was the fault of the doctor or hospital, then the person responsible had to eat the cost of ALL of it. I feel for this person's wife. And the surgeon should have had his license revoked the first time it happened. Doesn't matter if the liver was as big as the spleen and was on a different side. If you're a surgeon and can't tell the difference between the different organs, then you shouldn't be allowed to operate.
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
If I read correctly, the doctor was claiming the spleen was the one that had swollen and migrated, meaning he claimed the liver was the swollen migrated spleen
Load More Replies...
UncleJohn3000 3 months ago
I had surgery on my right ankle (mountain bike) and just before the surgery, the surgeon came in with an aide and a Polaroid camera. She took a picture of my leg, then he handed me a Sharpie and told me to sign and date my leg. She took another picture and then he countersigned over my signature and she took a final picture. "To make sure we operate on the right leg. This is the law in Washington." "I was hoping you were going work on the purple one." "Yep!"
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 months ago
That was my first thought too, Uncle - well, okay, not that the surgeon in this case should have had the patient sign his spleen (ha) - but where was the backup/other set of eyes DURING the surgery? Where was the surgeon's "cover your heiny" policy, so to speak? I've heard the stereotype that surgeons are arrogant (and I don't entirely disbelieve that SOME are, at least) but I imagine in an emergency situation like Mr. Bryan's, when the surgeon opened him up and (allegedly) saw a swollen spleen that had "migrated", why didn't he check with his assistants or an assisting surgeon? Why didn't he at least be like "Hey, bro, help me out, this is a case of Wandering Spleen, right?" (actually a real condition, albeit super rare.) No, he just went right in and snipped Mr. Bryan's liver right out of his body. Effing hell. I'm seriously secondhand infuriated on the family's part.
Load More Replies...
sbj 3 months ago
He should have been at least had his surgeons licence suspended for the previous mistake and then if the decision from that investigation (as there should have been)was that he be reinstated he should only have been allowed to operate under supervision
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 months ago (edited)
From what I read about him, there was some sort of justifying faffing about, with representatives for the surgeon/hospital stating that "wrong-site surgeries occur 20 to 30 times per week in hospitals and clinics in the US". That seems like unacceptable numbers to me - why the HELL aren't there more protocols in place to ensure that that number gets REDUCED? No effing excuse. Get another surgeon's eyes in there, whatever you have to do to ensure you don't amputate the wrong leg or remove someone's liver instead of their spleen. There was a study done in 2016 that reported that wrong-site surgeries that result in the patient's death are NOT reported on the death certificate as such, nor were they included in reported mortality rates in the US, so it's possible that the percentage of patients who straight-up DIE from wrong-site surgeries is MUCH higher than is currently reported (7%) EDIT to add link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27143499/
Load More Replies... Jessica SpeLangm 3 months ago
When I worked for a medical insurance company, we had a statement about "never events". These were things that happened, like to this person, that was the fault of the doctor or hospital and caused more medical issues than was supposed to happen. When it was determined that it was the fault of the doctor or hospital, then the person responsible had to eat the cost of ALL of it. I feel for this person's wife. And the surgeon should have had his license revoked the first time it happened. Doesn't matter if the liver was as big as the spleen and was on a different side. If you're a surgeon and can't tell the difference between the different organs, then you shouldn't be allowed to operate.
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
If I read correctly, the doctor was claiming the spleen was the one that had swollen and migrated, meaning he claimed the liver was the swollen migrated spleen
Load More Replies... UncleJohn3000 3 months ago
I had surgery on my right ankle (mountain bike) and just before the surgery, the surgeon came in with an aide and a Polaroid camera. She took a picture of my leg, then he handed me a Sharpie and told me to sign and date my leg. She took another picture and then he countersigned over my signature and she took a final picture. "To make sure we operate on the right leg. This is the law in Washington." "I was hoping you were going work on the purple one." "Yep!"
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 months ago
That was my first thought too, Uncle - well, okay, not that the surgeon in this case should have had the patient sign his spleen (ha) - but where was the backup/other set of eyes DURING the surgery? Where was the surgeon's "cover your heiny" policy, so to speak? I've heard the stereotype that surgeons are arrogant (and I don't entirely disbelieve that SOME are, at least) but I imagine in an emergency situation like Mr. Bryan's, when the surgeon opened him up and (allegedly) saw a swollen spleen that had "migrated", why didn't he check with his assistants or an assisting surgeon? Why didn't he at least be like "Hey, bro, help me out, this is a case of Wandering Spleen, right?" (actually a real condition, albeit super rare.) No, he just went right in and snipped Mr. Bryan's liver right out of his body. Effing hell. I'm seriously secondhand infuriated on the family's part.
Load More Replies... sbj 3 months ago
He should have been at least had his surgeons licence suspended for the previous mistake and then if the decision from that investigation (as there should have been)was that he be reinstated he should only have been allowed to operate under supervision
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 months ago (edited)
From what I read about him, there was some sort of justifying faffing about, with representatives for the surgeon/hospital stating that "wrong-site surgeries occur 20 to 30 times per week in hospitals and clinics in the US". That seems like unacceptable numbers to me - why the HELL aren't there more protocols in place to ensure that that number gets REDUCED? No effing excuse. Get another surgeon's eyes in there, whatever you have to do to ensure you don't amputate the wrong leg or remove someone's liver instead of their spleen. There was a study done in 2016 that reported that wrong-site surgeries that result in the patient's death are NOT reported on the death certificate as such, nor were they included in reported mortality rates in the US, so it's possible that the percentage of patients who straight-up DIE from wrong-site surgeries is MUCH higher than is currently reported (7%) EDIT to add link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27143499/
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