Incident in Florida
Updated on 04.09.2024, 17:40
Laparoscopic surgery requires only small incisions and is performed using a camera and thin instruments. © Getty Images/stefanamer
William Bryan’s spleen was supposed to be removed. But the surgeon removed Bryan’s liver instead – claiming it was an abnormally enlarged spleen. This mistake cost the 70-year-old his life.
William Bryan and his wife Beverly were visiting their rental property in Okaloosa County, Florida, in mid-August when Bryan suddenly complained of pain in his left flank. At Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, the 70-year-old underwent several tests that indicated problems with his spleen.
Surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky and the hospital’s medical director, Dr. Christopher Bacani, convinced Bryan and his wife to have an operation, as “USA Today” reportsThere would be serious complications if he left the hospital.
On August 21, a laparoscopic operation was performed, according to a Facebook post by the law firm Zarzaur Law, which is now representing the widow. However, it was not Bryan’s spleen that was removed, but his liver. In the process, surgeon Shaknovsky severed the large vessels that supply the liver with blood. The result was an immediate, immense loss of blood, and Bryan died on the operating table.
What is laparoscopic surgery?
- Laparoscopic surgery is part of minimally invasive surgery. Abdominal operations are performed without large incisions. The instruments are inserted into the abdominal cavity through several relatively small incisions, and the operation is performed using a real-time camera. Colloquially, it is also referred to as “buttonhole surgery” or “keyhole surgery”.
According to Zarzaur Law, the surgeon labeled the removed organ as “spleen.” Only after the patient’s death did it become clear that the liver had actually been removed.
According to reports, Shaknovsky told Bryan’s widow after the operation that the 70-year-old’s spleen had degenerated to such an extent that it had quadrupled in size and migrated to the other side of his body.
Later, a small cyst was discovered on his spleen, which was probably the cause of his pain.
According to the law firm, there was already a case in 2023 in which Shaknovsky had removed the wrong organ. At that time, he removed a piece of pancreas instead of the intended adrenal gland. A confidential settlement was reached in that case.
The website AL.com Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital said it was investigating William Bryan’s death but did not provide any further information. “We take such allegations very seriously and our leadership team is conducting a thorough investigation of this case.” Patient safety is a top priority, as is their privacy. “We do not comment on specific cases or active litigation.”
Widow Beverly Bryan is pursuing both civil and criminal charges in the case. She said via Zarzaur Law: “My husband died helpless in an operating room operated by Dr. Shaknovsky. I don’t want anyone else to die because of his incompetence – in a hospital that should have known or knew that he had made drastic, life-altering surgical errors before.”
On September 1, Zarzaur Law posted an update. According to the update, North Walton Doctors Hospital, where Shaknovsky also worked, distanced itself from the surgeon. All references to him were removed from the website and social media.
Sources used
“How the editorial team works” informs you when and what we report on, how we deal with errors and where our content comes from. In reporting, we adhere to the guidelines of the Journalism Trust Initiative.
