Staff left 'shocked' as Florida surgeon mistakenly removes liver instead of spleen, leading to fatality

A Florida doctor had his medical licence suspended after being accused of mistakenly removing a patient's liver instead of the spleen, resulting in the "immediate and catastrophic death" of a 70-year-old Alabama man, according to the New York Post. The doctor, Thomas J. Shaknovsky, was found to have made “repeated egregious surgical errors” and allegedly falsified medical records to cover up the fatal mistake, according to an emergency order filed on September 24 by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.

The incident occurred on August 21 at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, where William Bryan was admitted after experiencing severe abdominal pain while on holiday with his wife in Miramar Beach. Imaging revealed an enlarged spleen, and despite initially refusing surgery , Bryan eventually agreed to undergo a splenectomy after Dr Shaknovsky insisted on him.

Hospital members doubted Shaknovsky’s ability to perform complex surgery, as the team operated with a reduced “skeleton staff.” According to the surgeon general’s order, Shaknovsky began the procedure laparoscopically, surgical technique that uses specialised instruments to treat conditions in the abdomen or pelvis, but quickly converted to an open operation because of poor visibility caused by Bryan’s “distended colon and blood in the abdomen.” However, Shaknovsky failed to document this decision properly.

Shaknovsky then reportedly began dissecting what he believed to be the spleen but instead was handling the liver. The doctor is said to have severed multiple ligaments attached to the liver, “that’s scary,” he said, after he felt a pulse under his finger. He then fired a surgical stapler into a vessel, causing a haemorrhage that sent Bryan into cardiac arrest.

Operating room staff began emergency efforts, performing CPR and suctioning blood, but while the team worked to save Bryan, Shaknovsky continued to dissect the liver, eventually removing the organ, which weighed 4.6 pounds. Witnesses said that Shaknovsky insisted it was the spleen, leaving staff “shocked” and “sick to their stomachs.”

Shaknovsky claimed Bryan died of a splenic artery aneurysm. He reportedly pressured staff to label the removed liver as a spleen and send it to pathology. The order further noted that Shaknovsky returned to the operating room three times, each time reiterating his assertion that Bryan had died of a splenic artery aneurysm.

Surgeon general Ladapo condemned Shaknovsky’s actions, “Each attachment severed was another opportunity for Dr Shaknovsky to recognise he was handling the wrong organ,” Ladapo said.

Bryan’s death has been ruled a homicide , and his family is expected to file a malpractice lawsuit.