Dr. Shaknovsky Removes The Liver Of Patient Mistaking It For The Spleen, Causing Immediate Death.

Mr. William Bryan and his wife Beverly, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, were visiting their rental property in Okaloosa County when Mr. Bryan (70 years of age) suddenly began experiencing left-sided flank pain. They went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, and he was admitted for further studies pursuant to concern for an abnormality of the spleen. The family was reluctant to proceed with surgery in Florida but were persuaded by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, General Surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, Chief Medical Officer of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, that Mr. Bryan could experience serious complications if he left the hospital. From the records it appears, both physicians were involved in the discussion as to the appropriateness of the planned procedure and the capabilities of the facility to accommodate such.
On August 21, 2024, Dr. Shaknovsky proceeded with a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy procedure. During this operation, Dr. Shaknovsky removed Mr. Bryan’s liver and, in so doing, transected the major vasculature supplying the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death. The surgeon proceeded with labeling the removed liver specimen as a “spleen,” and it wasn’t until following the death that it was identified that the organ removed was actually Mr. Bryan’s liver, as opposed to the spleen. The surgeon told Mrs. Bryan after the procedure 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. The family was informed that Mr. Bryan’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.
Perhaps most concerning is that Dr. Shaknovsky had a previous wrong-site surgery in 2023 where he mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenal gland resection. That case was settled in confidence, and Dr. Shaknovsky remained a surgeon at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital as recently as August 2024. It is uncertain whether he continues to have privileges at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital or other area facilities.
Mrs. Bryan hired Joe Zarzaur of Zarzaur Law, P.A. to get justice for her husband. She doesn’t want this doctor to continue treating patients. Mrs. Bryan is pushing both criminal and civil proceedings as she feels that “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.”
Joe Zarzaur noted, “Our goal at Zarzaur Law is to get justice for the Bryan family and make our community safer one case at a time.” He also states “That while most doctors are doing excellent work to keep us healthy, there is a small percentage that should not be practicing medicine.”
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Joe Zarzaur, the founder of Zarzaur Law, P.A., a Personal Injury law firm based in Pensacola, Florida , has created this video blog in an effort to educate the many citizens and visitors within Florida about their legal rights. Joe Zarzaur knows the ins and outs of Florida law and offers quality legal help whether you have experienced an auto accident/car wreck, have been a victim of medical malpractice, or are in need of a personal injury lawyer.
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