William Bryan (left) and his wife Beverly Bryan (right) (Image courtesy of Zarzaur Law).
The surviving family of an Alabama man is suing the surgeon who mistakenly removed his liver during what was supposed to be a spleen-removal surgery.
70-year-old William Bryan and his wife Beverly, residents of Muscle Shoals, were spending time at the family’s rental property in Okaloosa County, Florida, when Bryan suddenly began to experience pain in his left flank. The couple went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Florida and Bryan was admitted for tests to assess an abnormal spleen. After medical staff advised Bryan that immediate surgery was required to prevent serious spleen-related complications, he agreed to an emergency laparoscopic splenectomy.
Joe Zarzaur, an attorney retained by the family, said the Bryans had been reluctant to proceed with the surgery in Florida, but were persuaded by Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon, and Christopher Bacani, the hospital’s chief medical officer.
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According to hospital records reviewed by Law&Crime, Bryan told medical staff multiple times that he preferred to travel back to Alabama to follow up with his regular doctor before surgery, but doctors told Bryan that he could experience serious complications — and even death — if he left the hospital. Records indicate that Bryan and his wife understood the risks and elected to go forth with a laparoscopic hand-assisted splenectomy.
The same medical records described the surgery in which an incision was made and “adhesions on the anterior surface of the spleen were carefully taken down.” Indeed, throughout the document, reference was made to Bryan’s “spleen,” but not his liver.
It read, “The entire spleen was exposed noted to be severely deformed,” before the operation was converted to an “open procedure,” due to what was thought to be an enlarged spleen. Thereafter, the records described Bryan’s “extensive blood loss,” blood transfusion, and eventually, cardiac arrest.
A pathology report from Aug. 22, however, said that what had been labeled Bryan’s spleen had actually been his liver.
Zarzaur said in a statement that during the surgery Shaknovsky’s mistaken removal of Bryan’s liver caused “immediate and catastrophic blood loss” that resulted in Bryan’s death.
What’s more, Zarzaur said that Shaknovsky labeled Bryan’s removed liver specimen as a “spleen” until after Bryan’s death when it was correctly identified as the patient’s liver. Zarzaur said Shaknovsky told Beverly Bryan that her husband’s liver was enlarged and had migrated to the opposite side of Bryan’s abdominal cavity.
Zarzaur also said that the family was later informed after an autopsy was conducted that Bryan’s actual spleen was still in his body and had a small surface cyst.
“Perhaps most concerning is that Dr. Shaknovsky had a previous wrong-site surgery in 2023 where he mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenal gland resection,” Zarzaur also said in a video statement posted to YouTube, noting that the lawsuit over that botched surgery had been settled confidentially. Zarzaur also noted that while Shaknovsky’s bio appears to be removed from Sacred Heart’s website, he appears to still be the chief medical officer at another facility.
Under Florida law, a claimant in a medical malpractice case is not permitted to file a complaint directly following a malpractice event that results in death. Rather, a pre-litigation process must first precede the filing of any lawsuit.
Zarzaur indicated that it is his plan to file a lawsuit at the appropriate time, and added that his primary concern is that Shaknovsky may still be practicing medicine.
“Be very careful,” the attorney warned Florida residents who might seek medical care from the surgeon.
A representative from Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast told Law&Crime via email Wednesday that the organization is taking the allegations very seriously, and that its leadership team is performing a thorough investigation. The hospital also said it does not typically comment on specific cases during pending litigation.
“Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003,” the statement said. “Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard.”
Editor’s note: This piece was updated from its original version to include comment from the parties.
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