Dr Thomas Shaknovsky, a General surgeon with Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach, Florida, has been sued after mistakenly removing a patient’s liver during surgery, killing him.
Mr William Bryan, 70, and his wife, Beverly, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, had visited Florida when he started having some medical issues. Mr Bryan reportedly felt pain in the left side of his abdomen and visited Dr Shaknovsky’s hospital in Miramar Beach.
Following some tests, he was determined to be having issues with his spleen and scheduled for surgery. According to their lawyers, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bryan wanted to have surgery at Ascension Sacred Heart, but they were convinced by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, General Surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, Chief Medical Officer. The duo impressed on the couple that Mr Bryan would experience serious complications and eventually bleed to death if he doesn’t quickly undergo the surgery and hence they relented.
The splenectomy was carried out on August 21, 2024, and that is when things went horribly wrong. For whatever reason, Dr Thomas Shaknovsky completely messed up, removing William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. This led to him suffering serious blood loss, killing him right on the operating table.
Following the surgery, Dr Shaknovsky labeled the liver as ‘spleen’ and told Mrs. Bryan that her husband’s spleen had grown to four times its size and migrated to the other side of his body due to the abnormality he was suffering.
However, a pathologist discovered that Mr Bryan’s spleen was intact in his body with a small cyst on its surface. An autopsy also confirmed that it was his liver that had been uprooted. Mrs Bryan therefore engaged the services of the attorney Joe Zarzaur of Zarzaur Law, P.A. to get justice for her husband. Zarzuau Law has commenced action against Dr Shaknovsky, the Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, and other defendants.
In the suit, Zarzaur Law alleges that mistakenly removing Mr Bryan’s liver is not the first major catastrophic mistake of Dr Thomas Shaknovsky’s career. In 2023, he mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing the intended adrenal gland resection. The case was settled hence no lawsuit was filed against Dr Shaknovsky or Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital
READ ALSO: Eric Gilliland Death – Hollywood Actor, Writer and Producer Passes Away
Said Mrs Bryan: “My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky. I don’t want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital that should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes.”
A complaint has also been made to the Walton County Sherrif’s Office, who are investigating to determine if criminal charges can be brought against the doctor.
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast said in a statement: “We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2001. 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. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation.”
More details of the case are presented by Joe Zarzaur below…
Dr Thomas Shaknovsky, Bio of So-called Liver Doctor
Dr Thomas J. Shaknovsky is an American general surgeon who attended Loyola University for his undergraduate degree. He received his medical degree from Midwestern in Downers Grove, Illinois and completed general surgery residency at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.
During his sophomore year of college, Dr Shaknovsky joined he U.S Army. Several military training exercises on Florida’s Emerald Coast led to him getting fond of the region. He remains a Major in the U.S. Army.
Dr Shaknovsky is extensively trained in performing minimally invasive/robotic surgery, endoscopy, wound care and dialysis access.
After practicing general surgery for four years in Southeast Alabama, he decided to relocate to Florida in 2023. He joined Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital as General Surgeon and also worked with North Walton Doctors Hospital.
Thomas Shaknovsky is married with three kids. He reportedly enjoys outdoor activities such as fishing and hiking. Dr Shaknovsky speaks fluent English and Russian.