Civil and possible criminal charges are being considered after the death of an Alabama man who died when a surgeon at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast mistakenly removed the patient’s liver instead of his spleen, “causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death.”
William “Bill” Bryan, 70, and his wife Beverly are from Muscle Shoals, Alabama and they were visiting their condo in Destin, in Okaloosa County, when Bill began experiencing pain in his left-side. He was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach over suspected medical problems with his spleen. The Bryan family’s attorney, Joe Zarzaur in Pensacola, says general surgeon, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, and the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Christopher Bacani, persuaded the Bryans not to return home for the surgery, but to have it in Florida, even though they were reluctant.
“It’s one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice that I’ve ever been involved with,” said Joe Zarzuar, during an online press conference. “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.”
According to medical records provided by Zarzaur Law, on Aug. 21, 2024, Shaknovsky proceeded with a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy procedure. During the operation, Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver and, in so doing, transected the major vasculature supplying the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss that resulted in Bill Bryan’s death.
Bill Bryan’s wife of 33 years, Beverly Bryan is devastated. As a nurse herself, her first inclination was to return home where she said doctors were ready and waiting to treat him. She said Dr. Shaknovsky convinced her it was too dangerous because her husband might “bleed to death if he was moved.” Instead, he bled to death in the operating room, just two days before their wedding anniversary.
“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 Bryan said during the press conference. “Our family and community is devastated by what’s happened and we feel that it is our duty to spread awareness and warn others.”
According to medical records, the surgeon apparently did not realize his mistake at the time of the surgery and proceeded with labeling the removed liver specimen as a “spleen.” After the procedure, Shaknovsky told Beverly Bryan that the “spleen” was so diseased that it was four times bigger than usual and had “migrated” to the other side of Mr. Bryan’s body.
“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,” said Zarzaur.
It wasn’t until the pathologist examined Bryan’s tissue that the organ that had been removed was identified as his liver, as opposed to his spleen. The family was also told that Bill’s spleen, the root of his original symptom profile upon presentation to the hospital, was still in his body and appeared with a small cyst on its surface.
“After the autopsy, that mass turned out to be a cyst that had ruptured and bled around it,” said Beverly. “You know, he hadn’t lost too much blood to live or even be transfused.”
As Zarzaur’s legal team began looking into Bryan’s death they also discovered this was not the first time Dr. Shaknovsky had mistakenly operated on the wrong part of a person’s body. In a previous wrong-site surgery in 2023, Zarzaur said the surgeon mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenal gland resection at the same hospital. That case was settled in confidence, and Dr. Shaknovsky remained a surgeon at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital as recently as August 2024. He said it’s uncertain whether he continues to have privileges at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital or other area facilities.
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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,” said Zarzaur. “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.”
When reached for comment, representatives with Ascension Sacred Heart released the following statement: “We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003. 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.”
Beverly Bryan would like to see both criminal and civil cases filed over her husband’s death because she said she doesn’t want to see Shaknovsky treating any more patients. She said his mistake cost her Bill’s life and took from their family a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and an avid Alabama football fan. She began to weep when she recounted how he won’t get to see his grandson play football this year during his senior year of high school.
“He was a retired boilermaker,” said Beverly. “Bill had worked hard all his life to be able to afford a small condo at the beach, and we loved it down there. He was just absolutely the finest kind of man you’d ever want to meet. He was honest and dependable and generous, but he was tough. And he could have taken every one of those people in that operating room if he’d have been standing up.”
Zarzaur says he has not filed a medical malpractice lawsuit yet because Florida law requires parties to go through a “pre-suit period,” where they determine if the issue can be resolved without filing a lawsuit. That process he said normally takes six to nine months. In the meantime, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office is also looking into Bill Bryan’s death. Zarzaur said Shaknovsky could potentially face culpable negligence charges.
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“Walton County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the District 1 Medical Examiner’s Office and Office of the State Attorney is reviewing the facts involving the death of William Bryan to determine if anything criminal took place,” said Public Information Officer Corey Dobridnia in an email. “At this time, it would be incorrect to say criminal charges have been filed. Our agency asks for the public’s patience as these cases are extremely complex and take time to investigate. The only reliable source of information regarding any criminal case will come from our office.”
Beverly Bryan is praying for justice and trying to understand how something like this could happen to her husband.
“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky,” Beverly Bryan said. “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.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky removed man liver instead of spleen
