Left: William Bryan, Beverly Bryan. Right: Thomas Shaknovsky (images courtesy of Zarzaur Law).
A surgeon who allegedly performed multiple wrong-site surgeries, including one that resulted in a patient’s death after the wrong organ was removed, has surrendered his medical license — for the second time.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky was licensed to practice osteopathic medicine in both Alabama and Florida. However, following the death of William Bryan — who died after Shaknovsky allegedly mistakenly removed the man’s liver instead of his spleen during emergency surgery in August — he is now barred from practicing in both states. Records show that Shaknovsky “voluntarily” surrendered his license in Alabama, where authorities have also blocked him from practicing, on Nov. 7.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the doctor was ordered to surrender his Florida license in September. He is now listed as having “retired” from practicing medicine in that state.
The suspension orders from both states detailed the troubling circumstances surrounding two botched surgeries — and Shaknovsky’s apparent attempts to cover up his own errors.
Bryan was an Alabama man who went to a Florida hospital for tests to assess an abnormal spleen while he was on vacation in the Sunshine State. Medical staff advised Bryan that he needed immediate surgery to prevent serious spleen-related complications, and despite serious reluctance to do so, Bryan ultimately agreed to undergo an emergency laparoscopic splenectomy, according to the Florida report.
Although operating room staff was limited at the time, and although the hospital did not typically perform splenectomies, Shaknovsky conducted the operation. According to the suspension order, operating room staff was concerned at the time that Shaknovsky did not have the skill level to safely perform this procedure.
During the surgery — for which the doctor arrived an hour late — Shaknovsky opted to convert a laparoscopic procedure to an open one to mitigate difficulties in visibility. The procedure had major complications and Shaknovsky’s decisions proved to be fatal for the patient, according to the report.
After “fir[ing] a stapling device blindly” into Bryan’s abdomen, Shaknovsky removed an organ that he “believed” was Bryan’s spleen, but was actually the man’s liver. According to the suspension order, not only did operating room staff notice Shaknovsky’s error during the procedure, but they also observed him trying to cover up his error.
The Florida Department of Health said in its order that Shaknovsky’s account of the incident contained, “deceptive and untrue statements,” and that Shaknovksy directed a staffer to purposely and incorrectly label Bryan’s liver as “spleen” as it was transported to the pathology lab.
In its suspension order, the department said that Shaknovsky’s failure to admit his error demonstrated either a “lack of clinical understanding” or a “lack of integrity,” and even predicted, “his reckless conduct is likely to continue.”
The Florida order also details a botched procedure on another patient in which Shaknovsky allegedly removed pancreatic tissue instead of an adrenal gland that had a mass on it. According to the order, the error caused that patient to suffer “long-term, permanent harm.”
Law&Crime reached out to Shaknovsky for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
More from Law&Crime: Jury awards $1.1 million to couple after husband’s botched vasectomy leads to ‘wrongful conception’ of healthy child
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
