A US-based surgeon has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after allegedly removing a 70-year-old patient’s liver instead of his spleen during a routine operation, leading to catastrophic blood loss and death on the operating table.
Dr Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was indicted by a grand jury in Walton County on Monday following the fatal procedure performed on August 21, 2024, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital.
William Bryan, who lived in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, sought treatment at the hospital in Miramar Beach after experiencing sharp pain while visiting property in Okaloosa County. Imaging revealed an enlarged spleen with blood in the abdominal membrane, but no active haemorrhage.
Shaknovsky reportedly recommended and pressed Bryan for three days to undergo a minimally invasive laparoscopic splenectomy. The surgery, scheduled for a Saturday with limited staff, switched to open procedure when a distended colon obstructed access.
According to investigators, once the abdomen was opened, the colon protruded, and the surgical team had to suction blood for visibility. Bryan then suffered massive haemorrhaging, went into cardiac arrest, and died despite attempts at emergency blood transfusion.
Prosecutors allege Shaknovsky removed the liver — located on the right side — instead of the spleen. The surgeon reportedly tried to persuade colleagues in the operating room that the extracted organ was the spleen, and later told Bryan’s family that a splenic aneurysm had ruptured, causing the bleeding.
However, an autopsy confirmed the spleen remained intact while the liver was missing.
Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan, expressed disbelief at the explanation. “I just couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Shaknovsky’s medical licence was suspended for one month after the incident. In 2023, he faced sanctions and a $400,000 fine in a separate malpractice case involving the erroneous removal of part of a patient’s pancreas instead of an adrenal gland section.
The latest indictment follows a two-year investigation involving local, state and medical authorities. Shaknovsky was arrested on Monday.
The case has sparked renewed scrutiny over surgical safety protocols and the pressures faced by patients during urgent procedures.
No immediate comment from the hospital or Shaknovsky’s legal team was available at the time of reporting. The manslaughter charge carries significant penalties if convicted.
