Florida surgeon mistakenly removes patient's liver instead of spleen, causing him to die, widow says

A Florida surgeon mistakenly removed a man’s liver instead of his spleen, causing him to die on the operating table, a lawyer for the man’s widow alleges.

William Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, underwent surgery on Aug. 21, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital in Miramar, Florida, because of spleen abnormalities, according to a statement from the personal injury firm Zarzaur Law, based in Pensacola, Florida.

The Walton County Sheriff's Office, in coordination with other authorities, said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday it is investigating Bryan's death.

William Bryan and his wife, Beverly Bryan, were in the Sunshine State visiting their rental property when he began experiencing “left-sided flank pain,” Beverly Bryan's attorneys said.

He was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation, and although the Bryans were reluctant to have surgery in Florida, they were persuaded by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, the hospital’s chief medical officer, that he could experience serious complications if he left the hospital’s care.

Both Shaknovsky and Bacani appeared to be involved in discussions, according to records, for how to proceed with Bryan’s medical treatment, Beverly Bryan's lawyer, Joe Zarzaur, said in the statement.

Shaknovsky performed a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy on William Bryan, Zarzaur said, which had deadly consequences.

“Dr. Shaknovsky removed Mr. Bryan’s liver and, in so doing, transected the major vasculature supplying the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death,” the statement said. “The surgeon proceeded with labeling the removed liver specimen as a 'spleen,' and it wasn’t until following the death that it was identified that the organ removed was actually Mr. Bryan’s liver, as opposed to the spleen.'”

Shaknovsky told Beverly Bryan her husband’s spleen was so diseased that it was four times bigger than normal and it had moved to the other side of his body, Zarzaur alleges. But in a typical human body the liver exists on the opposite side of the abdomen and it is much larger than a spleen, he said.

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital said in a statement Wednesday it's "performing a thorough investigation" into Bryan's death and takes allegations like the one made by his family "very seriously."

"Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003," the statement said. "Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation."

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the typical human spleen is roughly the size of an avocado, and the typical human liver is roughly the size of a football.

“The family was informed that Mr. Bryan’s spleen, the root of his original symptom profile upon presentation to the hospital, was still in his body and appeared with a small cyst on its surface,” the statement said.

Shaknovsky had made a similar mistake in 2023, removing portions of a pancreas instead of an adrenal gland, in a case that was settled privately, Zarzaur said.

The employment status of Shaknovsky and Bacani wasn’t immediately clear on Wednesday afternoon. They were not reached for comment.

The Walton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that authorities are investigating the circumstances around Bryan's death.

“Walton County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the District 1 Medical Examiner’s Office and Office of the State Attorney is reviewing the facts involving the death of William Bryan to determine if anything criminal took place."

According to Zarzaur, Beverly Bryan doesn’t want Shaknovsky to perform any more surgeries.

“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,” according to the statement from her attorney.

 She is pushing for criminal and civil proceedings, Zarzaur said.

“Our goal at Zarzaur Law is to get justice for the Bryan family and make our community safer one case at a time,” he said. “While most doctors are doing excellent work to keep us healthy, there is a small percentage that should not be practicing medicine.”

According to a Wednesday afternoon search with the Florida Board of Medicine, Shaknovsky’s medical license is active. That is also the case for Bacani, records show.

NBC News' Toby Lyles contributed

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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