Renowned Surgeon Under Fire: Fatal Error in Organ Removal Sparks Controversy

The surgeon accused of causing a fatal error by removing the wrong organ during surgery claims that emotional distress led to the mistake. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is now facing a manslaughter charge in connection with the death of Bill Bryan, a 70-year-old Alabama resident, in August 2024.

Bill Bryan, along with his wife Beverly, was vacationing along Florida’s picturesque Emerald Coast when he began experiencing abdominal pain. Medical examinations revealed the issue was with his spleen, necessitating surgical intervention.

In the wake of the tragedy, Beverly Bryan has initiated legal action against Shaknovsky. During a deposition in November, Shaknovsky provided his perspective on the incident, explaining the sequence of events that led to the surgical error.

As per a transcript acquired by NBC News, Shaknovsky recounted that Bryan began to experience significant bleeding, which ultimately caused his heart to cease functioning. This grave complication resulted in the devastating outcome of the surgery.

According to a transcript obtained by NBC News, he said that Bryan started to bleed heavily which caused his heart to stop. 

As the team around him did chest compressions, Shaknovsky said he tried to find the source of the bleeding and it was during this that he removed his liver. 

The transcript said that he told a nurse to label the organ he had taken out as a spleen. 

Of making the fatal mistake, he said: ‘I can’t explain to you what it’s like for a surgeon to lose a patient on a table and how demoralizing it is and how devastating it is. 

‘And I couldn’t tell the difference because I was so upset. It’s a devastating thing, which I will have to live with the rest of my life.’

Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is facing a manslaughter charge relating to the August 2024 death of Bill Bryan

Bill Bryan, center, and his wife Beverly had been vacationing along the Emerald Coast in Florida when he got a pain in his abdomen which was traced to his spleen

Bryan was talked into a surgery to remove his spleen after the doctor allegedly wouldn’t allow Bryan to visit his own doctor back home. 

Shaknovsky’s license was suspended on an emergency basis by the Florida Department of Health, which put together a report about the incident that was filed with the court. 

Shaknovsky went forward with the surgery despite there only being skeletal crew because it was late in the day, according to the report.

Operating room staff allegedly ‘had concerns’ that Shaknovsky didn’t have the skill to perform a spleen removal, which was described as a ‘complicated’ procedure.

While Bryan was on the operating table, according to the report, Shaknovsky discovered a splenic artery aneurysm. 

According to him, the aneurysm ruptured, which resulted in the severe hemorrhaging that would eventually cause his death.

At first, Shaknovsky told investigators that he was able to control the aneurysm. 

In a subsequent interview, however, he admitted that ‘he had never been able to control the aneurysm, but instead decided to complete the splenectomy in a last-ditch effort to control the bleeding after [Bryan] had already been in cardiac arrest for 15 minutes.’

The 70-year-old (pictured with his wife Beverly) was talked into a surgery to remove his spleen after the doctor allegedly wouldn’t allow Bryan to visit his own doctor back home

After Bryan’s death, Shaknovsky was barred from practicing medicine in both Alabama and Florida 

When a medical examiner later performed an autopsy on Bryan, no evidence was found to suggest there had ever been an aneurysm.

The medical examiner found that Bryan died because, throughout the course of the operation, Shaknovsky dissected his inferior vena cava, the largest vein in the body. 

This error is what caused the massive bleeding that led to his death, not a ruptured aneurysm Shaknovsky failed to control, according to the report.

Additionally, the autopsy revealed that Bryan’s spleen and its attachments were ‘untouched’ and ‘in the normal position.’

After Bryan’s death, Shaknovsky was barred from practicing medicine in both Alabama and Florida.