A Florida doctor, Thomas J. Shaknovsky, had his medical license suspended after he mistakenly removed a man’s liver instead of his spleen, resulting in the patient’s death. The patient, William Bryan, and his wife were visiting from Alabama when he began experiencing lower left abdominal pain. Bryan was admitted to the hospital where doctors suspected an issue with his spleen and recommended surgery, which Bryan initially declined. Despite the patient’s refusal, Shaknovsky persisted in recommending the procedure.
Imaging showed an enlarged spleen and blood in the peritoneum, leading to Shaknovsky’s recommendation for a laparoscopic splenectomy. Despite Bryan’s reluctance, the doctor continued to push for the surgery. The procedure was scheduled, but concerns were raised by the operating room staff about Shaknovsky’s skill level. The surgery began, but Shaknovsky quickly ran into complications due to Bryan’s distended colon and blood in the abdomen. Despite the challenges, Shaknovsky proceeded with the surgery.
During the operation, Shaknovsky mistakenly identified the liver as the spleen and proceeded to remove it. This mistake led to severe hemorrhaging and Bryan going into cardiac arrest. Despite attempts to revive him, Bryan was pronounced dead. Shaknovsky attempted to cover up his error by requesting staff to label the liver as a spleen and sending it to pathology. The staff in the operating room were shocked by the doctor’s actions and felt that he was trying to convince them of a different cause of death.
The investigation into Bryan’s death revealed that this was not the only mistake Shaknovsky had made. In a previous surgery, he removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of the adrenal gland. The family’s lawyers released a statement confirming that Bryan’s death was ruled a homicide due to the liver being removed during the splenectomy. The family plans to file a malpractice lawsuit in response to Bryan’s tragic death.
The order suspending Shaknovsky’s medical license highlighted the repeated egregious surgical errors and the falsification of medical records in Bryan’s case. The surgeon general found that the doctor’s disregard for the truth and falsification of records breached the public trust. Shaknovsky’s actions were seen as a threat to public safety, and the order called for a complete restriction on his ability to perform general surgery. The healthcare industry was shaken by this tragic incident, as the operating room is meant to be a place of the highest level of patient care.
Bryan’s death and the subsequent investigation into Shaknovsky’s conduct have raised concerns about patient safety and the integrity of medical professionals. The case highlights the importance of transparency, honesty, and accountability in the medical field to ensure patient trust and safety. The family’s lawyers have emphasized the devastating impact of such negligence on the healthcare industry and have vowed to pursue legal action to seek justice for Bryan’s death. The suspension of Shaknovsky’s medical license serves as a warning to other medical professionals about the serious consequences of malpractice and misconduct in the field.
