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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.
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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.
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“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
Poll Question
Should Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital be held accountable for allowing Dr. Shaknovsky to continue practicing after his previous surgical error in 2023?
Yes, they should be held accountable
No, the hospital can't predict future errors
Only if they were aware of the risks
I'm not sure
What do you think ?
sbj 6 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) 6 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/
Deborah B 6 months ago
I don't care if the spleen has quardrupled in size and migrated to the same side as the liver - any competant surgeon is not going to remove a major organ without clamping off the blood supply to that organ. Could a spleen be so diseased it could be mistaken for a liver? Possibly. Would a decent surgeon look at a healthy liver, where the liver should be, and identify it as a horribly diseased spleen that had migrated to the wrong side? No. They'd double-check by locating both liver and spleen, because the first thought would be 'this is where the liver should be' and the second thought would be 'this looks like a liver' and the third thought would be 'Hmm, well, better find the liver, just to double check, because it would be stupid to cut out the wrong organ."
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
Because this article made me want to go find this surgeon and rip out HIS liver (well, euphemistically), I've spent the last 10-15 minutes or so looking at medical photos of swollen, inflamed/diseased spleens. There are some times when they've been MAJORLY enlarged, and yet, never ONCE have even the diseased ones looked like a liver (which I also looked at many medical photos of.) I'm a layman, of course (I have an ENGLISH degree, lol) but I can still tell the difference. Plus, why didn't the surgeon CHECK with an assistant/assisting surgeon, just to cover his own heiny? "Hey, is this Wandering Spleen?" (a real condition!) "Does this look like the spleen to you? Just want to check. Because, you know, I DID THIS BEFORE IN 2023 when I removed a chunk of someone's pancreas instead of their adrenal glands like I was supposed to! lol, right? But just wanted to have a second pair of eyes on this dude's spleen. Okay?"
Nicole Lebel 6 months ago
I can't believe they still retain him on staff. Are they waiting for him to butcher a THIRD patient and just giving him carte blanche to do so!!!??? Absolutely horrific! DO NOT GO TO THIS HOSPITAL, You might get him and DIE!!!
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
I read an article that stated he is also associated with (and perhaps performs surgeries at) another hospital in Florida, as well: Twin Cities Hospital, located in Niceville, Florida. So, my Floridian fellow Pandas: be safe, and if you live near these hospitals and must go to them, make sure you tell them to keep Dr. "Shank-your-liver"-novsky AWAY from your organs!
sbj 6 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) 6 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/
Deborah B 6 months ago
I don't care if the spleen has quardrupled in size and migrated to the same side as the liver - any competant surgeon is not going to remove a major organ without clamping off the blood supply to that organ. Could a spleen be so diseased it could be mistaken for a liver? Possibly. Would a decent surgeon look at a healthy liver, where the liver should be, and identify it as a horribly diseased spleen that had migrated to the wrong side? No. They'd double-check by locating both liver and spleen, because the first thought would be 'this is where the liver should be' and the second thought would be 'this looks like a liver' and the third thought would be 'Hmm, well, better find the liver, just to double check, because it would be stupid to cut out the wrong organ."
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
Because this article made me want to go find this surgeon and rip out HIS liver (well, euphemistically), I've spent the last 10-15 minutes or so looking at medical photos of swollen, inflamed/diseased spleens. There are some times when they've been MAJORLY enlarged, and yet, never ONCE have even the diseased ones looked like a liver (which I also looked at many medical photos of.) I'm a layman, of course (I have an ENGLISH degree, lol) but I can still tell the difference. Plus, why didn't the surgeon CHECK with an assistant/assisting surgeon, just to cover his own heiny? "Hey, is this Wandering Spleen?" (a real condition!) "Does this look like the spleen to you? Just want to check. Because, you know, I DID THIS BEFORE IN 2023 when I removed a chunk of someone's pancreas instead of their adrenal glands like I was supposed to! lol, right? But just wanted to have a second pair of eyes on this dude's spleen. Okay?"
Nicole Lebel 6 months ago
I can't believe they still retain him on staff. Are they waiting for him to butcher a THIRD patient and just giving him carte blanche to do so!!!??? Absolutely horrific! DO NOT GO TO THIS HOSPITAL, You might get him and DIE!!!
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago
I read an article that stated he is also associated with (and perhaps performs surgeries at) another hospital in Florida, as well: Twin Cities Hospital, located in Niceville, Florida. So, my Floridian fellow Pandas: be safe, and if you live near these hospitals and must go to them, make sure you tell them to keep Dr. "Shank-your-liver"-novsky AWAY from your organs!
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