Man Dies on Operating Table After Surgeon Inexplicably Removes Wrong Organ: Attorney
A tragic case of medical malpractice has emerged involving a Florida surgeon, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, who allegedly removed the wrong organ during an operation on William Bryan, a resident of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The incident occurred on August 18, 2024, while Bryan was at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Florida, for surgery that was initially suggested to address a possible concern with his spleen.
During the procedure, instead of the spleen, Dr. Shaknovsky mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver, leading to severe blood loss that resulted in immediate death. Reports indicate that the surgical error went unnoticed by Shaknovsky initially, who allegedly misidentified the removed organ as the spleen.
The case has drawn significant attention, with Bryan’s family, represented by attorney Joe Zarzaur, condemning the actions of the medical staff involved, stating it constitutes one of the most egregious examples of malpractice they have encountered. The hospital is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the matter amidst public outrage and calls for accountability from the victim’s family, who expressed fear of further harm occurring due to potential negligence by the surgical team.
It’s every tomophobians’ worst nightmare.
According to multiple reports, an alleged interstate case of a medical procedure going horrifically wrong has the family of the deceased accusing the doctor of gross malpractice.
William Bryan, a resident of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, according to AL.com, reportedly died after a Florida surgeon removed the wrong organ during an operation.
William and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were at their condo in Destin, Florida, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
During that visit, Mr. Bryan began feeling a pain in his left side.
From there, USA Today reported, Bryan was taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Florida, on Aug. 18.
What happened next was, as the Bryan family’s attorney, Joe Zarzaur, put it, “one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice that I’ve ever been involved with.”
Doctors reportedly discussed the potential risks with the Bryan family — but Zarzaur argued that it went a bit further than that.
“The doctors kept suggesting that it was too dangerous to move him, that his spleen could rupture, and they needed to go forward with the procedure,” Zarzaur said during a news conference, per the Journal.
The Bryans were reportedly “reluctant” to go through with the procedure, and considered traveling back home to Alabama for the surgery. But the family lawyer claimed that the general surgeon, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, and the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Christopher Bacani, successfully convinced the family to stay for the procedure.
The Journal chronicled: “Shaknovsky proceeded with a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy procedure.”
The issue arose when the doctor removed an organ that was decidedly not a spleen.
“During the operation, Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver and, in so doing, transected the major vasculature supplying the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss that resulted in Bill Bryan’s death,” the Pensacola outlet noted, citing medical records obtained by Zarzaur’s firm.
Florida doctor removes wrong organ from patient, resulting in ‘immediate, catastrophic death’ https://t.co/YJe0CgDETV pic.twitter.com/tIqVlyVnXY
— New York Post (@nypost) September 4, 2024
Perhaps even more alarmingly, AL.com noted that Shaknovsky didn’t even notice the blatant surgical error at first.
The doctor reportedly labeled the removed liver as a “spleen.”
Zarzaur himself felt that the facts of this case were “so egregious,” he took to YouTube to proffer some details.
“We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event,” a hospital statement procured by multiple outlets read. “Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003.”
“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky,” Beverly Bryan said in a statement. “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.”
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