Trial update: Florida surgeon charged with manslaughter after allegedly removing the wrong organ
An Alabama man died during a spleen removal surgery in August 2024 after his liver was mistakenly removed.
The surgeon, Thomas Shaknovsky, MD, was arrested in April 2026 and charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the operating room death.
William Bryan, of Muscle Shoals, AL, began experiencing left-sided flank pain during a Florida vacation in August 2024.[]
Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were staying at their rental property when Bryan began experiencing symptoms. His symptoms caused him to seek treatment at the Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar, FL. There, he was admitted and diagnosed with spleen abnormalities. When Bryan underwent spleen removal surgery, a general surgeon, Thomas Shaknovsky, MD, removed his liver instead. Bryan died on the operating table at the age of 70.
On April 13, 2026, Dr. Shaknovsky was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with Bryan's death. The indictment follows an extensive investigation conducted by state and local authorities in Walton County, FL.[]
Emergency surgery
At Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, the Bryans were advised that emergency surgery was the best option. According to Beverly Bryan’s attorneys, the couple expressed reluctance to have surgery in Florida and initially wished to return to Alabama for the procedure.
Dr. Shaknovsky and the hospital’s chief medical officer, Christopher Bacani, MD, told the Bryans that William was at risk of serious complications if he left the hospital's care. This convinced the couple to stay in Florida for the surgery.
On August 21, 2024, William Bryan went into surgery. Dr. Shaknovsky performed a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy and removed Bryan’s liver. The removal transected the major vasculature, causing severe blood loss resulting in death. According to Zarzaur Law, the firm representing Bryan, Dr. Shaknovsky labeled the removed liver as a "spleen."
Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly told Beverly Bryan that her husband’s spleen had moved to the right side of his body and was four times its normal size.
A surgeon indicted
Following a lengthy investigation by local authorities, including the Walton County Florida Sheriff's Office, Dr. Shaknovsky was arrested on April 13, accused of accidentally removing Bryan's liver instead of his spleen, prosecutors said.[]
Macdonald Walker, a spokesperson for Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, told NBC News that Shaknovsky "was was never a Sacred Heart Emerald Coast employee and has not practiced at any of our facilities since August 2024."[]
Beverly Bryan pursued both civil and criminal charges against Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, Dr. Shaknovsky, and Dr. Bacani. Bryan’s attorney, Joe Zarzaur, said Dr. Shaknosky made a similar surgical error in 2023. Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly removed portions of a patient’s pancreas instead of an adrenal gland. That case was settled privately.[]
According to a statement from her attorney, Bryan said, “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”[]
Dr. Shaknovsky remains in Walton County Jail as he awaits his first court appearance.
Preventing wrong-site surgical errors
An estimated 400,000 annual deaths in the United States are the result of medical errors.[] While there are numerous types of medical errors, surgical errors can have an especially high risk of severe patient harm. Some statistics show that wrong-site surgical errors occur in about one in 112,000 surgeries.[] As of 2019, over 30 million inpatient surgeries are performed in the US each year.
Multiple medical organizations have released safety standards to help combat surgical errors, including wrong-site errors. Orthopedic surgeon Mike Gerling, MD, says utilizing three key check-in points can reduce risk.
“This type of error is what the Joint Commission calls a ‘never-ever’ error, meaning it should never occur,” Dr. Gerling says. “The WHO Safe Surgical Checklist is one way to ensure the safest surgery possible. It allows for a team check-in at three important stages: before anesthesia, before incision, and post-op.”
Dr. Gerling says that the pre-incision check-in is a “time out” that ensures the entire surgical team is prepared to perform a safe procedure and allows them to communicate any potential issues.
“Identifying any concerns during this time allows the team to be prepared to and prevent these possible complications,” Dr. Gerling adds.
What this means for you
No physician is perfect; however, you can take steps to increase patient safety. Hospitals and other facilities will typically have patient safety plans in place, and physicians often take leadership roles in implementing these plans. You can read more about patient safety here.