DEADLY MIXUP

Florida Surgeon Sued for Removing Liver Instead of Spleen

A lawsuit alleges the surgeon conspired with the hospital to cover up the fatal error.

Beverly Bryan had no fears when her husband, Bill, went in to have his spleen removed last August at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Florida. She says she was told she’d see him “a few minutes later,” but she never saw her husband alive again. Bryan is now suing the hospital and surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky, accusing them of wrongful death and medical malpractice. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 30, alleges that Shaknovsky mistakenly removed Bill Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen, then conspired with hospital leadership to falsify records. According to The Washington Post, Shaknovsky told state investigators he couldn’t identify the organ he removed due to “shock and chaos.” His medical license was suspended. Bryan, a retired nurse, also alleges the hospital allowed Shaknovsky to operate despite a record of serious mistakes, including another botched procedure in 2023 that resulted in a $400,000 settlement. She hopes her case will expose how difficult it is for patients to access doctors’ malpractice histories, telling the Post, “It really needs to be more transparent when doctors have a bad history.” The hospital declined to comment to the paper.

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