In a tragic incident at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Florida, an Alabama man, William Bryan, died after a surgeon mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen during a procedure.
This grave error has left Bryan’s family devastated and has raised serious concerns about surgical safety and competence at the facility.
Bryan, 70, was vacationing in the Florida Panhandle when he experienced severe lower left abdominal pain.
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Concerned about his symptoms, he and his wife, Beverly, sought medical help at the hospital, which is located between Pensacola and Panama City.
After initial examinations, doctors identified an abnormality in his spleen and recommended further testing.
The family’s attorney stated that Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, the Chief Medical Officer, advised Bryan to undergo emergency surgery.
They warned him that delaying the procedure could lead to serious complications. Trusting their professional judgment, Bryan agreed to the surgery.
However, what was supposed to be a routine operation turned into a fatal mistake. During the surgery, Dr. Shaknovsky erroneously removed Bryan’s liver, mistakenly identifying it as the spleen.
This catastrophic error led to “immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death,” according to Zarzaur Law P.A., the firm representing the Bryan family.
Adding to the family’s shock and grief, the surgeon allegedly informed Beverly Bryan post-surgery that her husband’s “spleen” was unusually enlarged and had migrated to the opposite side of his body.
This statement was reportedly made in an attempt to justify the unexpected turn of events during the operation. However, it was later confirmed that the organ removed was indeed Bryan’s liver, not his spleen.
In a typical human anatomy, the liver is situated on the upper right side of the abdominal cavity, below the diaphragm and above other organs like the stomach, right kidney, and intestines.
The spleen, conversely, is located on the upper left side of the abdomen, next to the stomach. The spleen is significantly smaller than the liver, weighing between 2.4 to 3 pounds less and is approximately the size of a fist.
This is not the first time Dr. Shaknovsky has faced allegations of performing incorrect surgeries. Zarzaur Law claims that he was previously involved in a “wrong-site surgery” last year, where he mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing an intended adrenal gland resection. That case was settled out of court, with the terms undisclosed.
Beverly Bryan, seeking justice for her husband, has retained Zarzaur Law to pursue both a lawsuit and a criminal investigation against Dr. Shaknovsky and the hospital.
“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,” she stated.
In response to the incident, North Walton Doctor’s Hospital has “disassociated” itself from Dr. Shaknovsky and removed all references to him from its website.
Meanwhile, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital has announced that it is conducting a thorough investigation into Bryan’s death, emphasizing that patient safety remains their top priority.
“We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event,” the hospital stated.
The medical examiner’s report following Bryan’s death discovered a small cyst on his spleen, which is believed to have been the cause of the pain that led him to seek medical attention initially.
This finding only deepens the tragedy, as the misdiagnosis and surgical error led to an unnecessary and fatal operation.
As the investigation continues, the Bryan family and the broader community await answers and hope for measures to prevent such tragic mistakes from occurring again in the future.
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It’s hit or miss with doctors, anesthetists, and nurses. The health profession is teeming with nincompoops and lazy people..
Sounds like the real Dr. Nick Riviera probably faked his way through school. Either that or he’s an alcoholic frat boy. Sad…
Is this mere incompetence? He should lose his license to practice permanently and be forbidden from getting one in every state. But that is such extreme incompetence that it hard to believe it’s unintentional.
This story sounds impossible – two surgeons were in theatre? The nurses – what were they doing? None of this adds up. It is impossible to mistake these two organs – size alone would not even fool Mr. Magoo.
What do you call a doctor who comes in last in his class?
Doctor.
There you go. Another case arguing for MERIT instead of quotas in medical school. Don’t you want the best doctor instead of someone who simply fulfilled a quota number at medical school?
Yea, but did the doctor get their pronouns right? Everyone knows that’s the most important thing.