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A troubling medical incident in Florida has led to serious legal consequences for a surgeon, following the death of a 70-year-old patient due to an alleged surgical error. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is facing charges after a grand jury indictment on second-degree manslaughter, stemming from a surgery in August 2024 that went devastatingly wrong.
The Office of the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit made the announcement on April 13, highlighting the gravity of the situation. The Walton County Sheriff, Michael Adkinson, emphasized the importance of following the facts to their conclusion, stating, “Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor. The Grand Jury has spoken, and our responsibility is to ensure the charges are carried out through the proper legal process.”
According to prosecutors, Dr. Shaknovsky was supposed to perform a laparoscopic splenectomy on the patient, who hailed from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. However, during the procedure, he allegedly removed the patient’s liver instead of the spleen. This tragic error resulted in “catastrophic blood loss,” leading to the patient’s death on the operating table.
The victim, identified by NBC News as Bill Bryan, had been hesitant to undergo surgery, a sentiment that tragically foreshadowed the procedure’s fatal outcome. The case underscores the critical importance of precision in surgical procedures and the dire consequences that can follow from any deviation.
Prosecutors alleged that Shaknovsky was performing what was scheduled to be a laparoscopic splenectomy on a 70-year-old patient from Muscle Shoals, Alabama when he removed the man’s liver instead of his spleen.
As a result, prosecutors said the victim—identified to NBC News as Bill Bryan—suffered from “catastrophic blood loss” and died on the operating table.
Bryan had gone to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast after suffering from stomach pain, according to an Alabama court order obtained by NBC News to suspend Shaknovsky’s medical license.
Test results showed that Bryan was suffering from “a suspected enlarged spleen” and had “blood in the peritoneum with no active hemorrhage,” authorities wrote in the order.
He wanted to return to his home state of Alabama for the surgery, but, according to the court order, Shaknovsky “continued to pressure” him to do it in Florida and, after three days of discussions, he relented.
Authorities Describe “Shock” and “Chaos” in Bill Bryan’s Fatal Surgery
During the surgery, Bryan went into cardiac arrest, but Shaknovsky allegedly continued to operate, per the court records.
“Dr. Shaknovsky removed an organ he believed to be the spleen,” the filing noted, “but due to his shock and the chaos, he was unable to properly identify the organ.”
After removing the organ, Shaknovsky continued to insist it was the correct organ, according to an emergency suspension order obtained by The New York Post.
“The staff looked at the readily identifiable liver on the table and were shocked when Dr. Shaknovsky told them it was the spleen,” one witness alleged in the order, while another reported being “sick to their stomach.”
Shaknovsky allegedly ordered the staff to label the organ as the spleen, per the emergency suspension order, and deliver it to the lab. Meanwhile, Bryan died on the table.
“When I tell people what happened, it still sounds too awful to be true that that could happen,” his wife Beverly Bryan told NBC News. “I still have trouble believing it happened myself. Can you imagine?”
reached out to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast, but did not receive an immediate reply.
Thomas Shaknovsky Arrested in Miramar Beach, Florida
The family is now pursuing a wrongful death, medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuit in the case, according to The Pensacola News Journal. Oxygen reached out to the Zarzaur Law P.A. firm, who is representing the family, but did not receive an immediate response.
In September 2024, the Florida Surgeon General ordered an emergency suspension of Shaknovsky. His license was also revoked by the Alabama Medical Licensure Commission that same year.
Shaknovsky was taken into custody April 13 in Miramar Beach to face the criminal charges against him.
It’s unclear whether he has retained an attorney.
His wife told NBC News her husband would have supported the arrest.
“He would want his death to prevent someone else from being hurt, which is what I think the criminal charges being brought will do,” she said. “If we had to suffer through this and he had to die, then at least no one else will be hurt by this man now.”