A man died on the operating table after his surgeon mistook his liver for his spleen and removed it.
According to his wife, Beverly Bryan, they had been visiting their rental property in Florida when he began to experience pain on his left side.
He subsequently went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital where doctors evaluated his situation. Though he was initially reluctant to have surgery, he relented after being told by the hospitals’ chief medical officer Dr. Bacani and general surgeon Dr. Shaknovsky that he could have ‘serious complications’ if he refused medical care.
William eventually underwent surgery on August 21, with Shaknovsky performing a laparoscopic splenectomy.
Instead of removing the affected spleen, however, he removed his liver and in doing so, severed several major blood vessels, which led to ‘catastrophic blood loss’. The patient ultimately died on the operating table.
After coming out of the surgery room, Shaknovsky went to tell the patient’s wife that her husband’s spleen was ‘so diseased’ that it was several times bigger than normal and had relocated to the opposite side of the body.
It wasn’t until after the patient died that the removed liver specimen, which Shaknovsky had labeled as ‘spleen’, was correctly identified as the liver by a pathologist at the hospital. The pathologist, Dr. Robert Blanchart, wrote that the liver was ‘grossly identifiable’ in his pathology report and that it was ‘partly torn.’
The family was then informed that William’s spleen, which had been causing the medical issues, was still in his body with a visible cyst on the surface.
According to personal injury firm Zarzaur Law, the cyst had ‘some hemmorage’around the structure, but it was not a life-threatening issue.
In a statement, Ascension Scared Heart Emerald Coast Hospital said they are currently conducting a thorough investigation on the case as they take such allegations ‘very seriously’.
Not the First Time
According to Zarzaur, Shaknovsky had made a similar mistake in 2023, where he removed part of a patient’s pancreas instead of the adrenal gland.
Fortunately, the patient survived. The case was also settled privately.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it is not immediately clear whether or not Shaknovsky and Bacani are still employed at the hospital. Records show, however, that both Shaknovsky and Bacanis’ medical licenses are still active with the Florida Board of Medicine.
In a statement, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office also said they are investigating the circumstances around William’s death to determine whether anything criminal took place.
Through Zarzaur, Beverly stated that she does not want Shaknovsky to conduct any more surgeries. She said she doesn’t want anyone else to die due to the hospital’s incompetence. She is currently pushing for civil and criminal proceedings.
However, the family has not yet filed a formal lawsuit against Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital as there is a 6 to 9-month pre-suit process in Florida before an individual can formally file a medical malpractice lawsuit.
While the family will be filing as soon as they can, they are now focusing their efforts on raising awareness about the case as Shaknovsky is still treating patients.
