Surgeon in Florida removes liver instead of spleen and dies immediately

Bryan, 70, was on vacation in the Florida Panhandle last month when he suddenly felt severe pain in his left lower abdomen. He and his wife, Beverly, sought medical attention at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital between Pensacola and Panama City.

According to the family's attorney, doctors were concerned that there might be a possible problem with Bryan's spleen and decided to admit him for further testing.

General surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, along with chief medical officer Dr. Christopher Bacani, advised Bryan to undergo emergency surgery and warned him that leaving the hospital could lead to serious complications, the family's legal team, Zarzaur Law PA, said on social media.

However, during the surgery, Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly inadvertently removed Bryan's liver rather than his spleen, which, according to the law firm, resulted in “immediate and catastrophic blood loss” and his death.

The surgeon allegedly referred to the liver as a spleen, and the error was not discovered until after Bryan's death. Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly told Bryan's wife that her husband's “spleen” was severely diseased, four times its normal size, and displaced to the other side of his body. In typical human anatomy, the liver is located in the upper right of the abdomen, while the spleen is located in the upper left, underscoring the severity of the surgical error.