A Florida doctor, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after allegedly removing the wrong organ during surgery, leading to the death of 70-year-old William Bryan. In a deposition obtained by NBC News, Shaknovsky said he “couldn’t tell the difference” between the patient’s organs, claiming he was too upset to accurately identify the organ he removed.
The Incident
The incident occurred during surgery in August 2024, when William Bryan, who had been visiting Florida from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, sought medical care for severe abdominal pain. Shaknovsky, the surgeon performing the operation, mistakenly removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. The error led to extensive bleeding, causing Bryan’s heart to stop.
Shaknovsky explained in his deposition that, in his attempt to stop the bleeding, he struggled for 20 minutes but was unable to find the source. He described the situation as feeling like “an overflown sink that’s clogged up,” adding that he was emotionally distressed and “couldn’t tell the difference” between the organs during the operation.
The Aftermath and Lawsuit
Following the surgery, Shaknovsky admitted in his deposition that he was devastated by the mistake and went to the hospital’s library to cry, not wanting the staff to see his emotional state. He also mentioned that he felt “mentally compromised” when writing the postoperative notes, where he incorrectly identified the removed liver as a spleen. Shaknovsky later instructed a nurse to label the liver as a spleen.
William’s wife, Beverly Bryan, has filed a lawsuit against Shaknovsky, alleging medical malpractice. She claims that the surgeon “wrongfully omitted” any reference to the liver being removed to cover up his mistake and avoid embarrassment.
The lawsuit also disputes Shaknovsky’s belief that William’s spleen was “double the size of what is normal” due to a mass, claiming that the spleen was anatomically normal.
Criminal Charges
Last month, a grand jury indicted Shaknovsky with second-degree manslaughter for Bryan’s death. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office stated that the grand jury found probable cause to charge Shaknovsky, determining that his actions in the operating room constituted criminal conduct under Florida law.
Shaknovsky was arrested in Miramar Beach and transferred to the Walton County Jail. He now faces both civil and criminal legal consequences for the error that led to the patient’s death.
