Doctor who allegedly killed patient by removing his liver instead of spleen during emergency surgery has a history of operating on the wrong organ, lawyer says

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.

More from Law&Crime: Lawsuit claims Emory lost part of man’s skull, then charged him $19K to replace it

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.