A man dies in Florida after having his liver removed by mistake instead of his spleen during surgery.

A man from Alabama died in Florida after undergoing surgery in which, by mistake, his liver was removed instead of his spleen.

William Bryan, 70 years old, had traveled with his wife to Walton County, in northwest Florida, when he began to experience severe abdominal pain.

He sought medical attention at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital, where he was recommended surgery to remove the spleen.

Despite his initial doubts about undergoing surgery at that hospital, Bryan ultimately agreed to the intervention, but he died during the procedure.

The operation, performed on August 31 by surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky, was supposed to be a laparoscopic splenectomy.

However, instead of the spleen, the doctor removed the liver and also cut an artery that supplied it with blood, which caused a significant loss of blood and the immediate death of the patient.

According to the family's lawyers, the mistake was not reported immediately, and the surgeon even inaccurately documented the removal of the liver as if it were the spleen.

Shaknovsky explained to Bryan's wife that the spleen was so enlarged that it was "four times" its usual size, although the pathologist who examined the organ later confirmed that it was actually a visibly identifiable and partially torn liver.

The news has gone viral in recent hours, and many healthcare professionals cannot believe such medical negligence.

The medical report – cited by the U.S. press – reveals that Bryan had expressed his refusal to undergo surgery and had requested discharge to return to Alabama and consult his primary care physician.

However, according to the widow's lawyers, both Shaknovsky and another doctor persuaded him to undergo surgery due to the possible complications with his spleen.

It was later discovered that the spleen only had a small cyst and did not require surgical intervention.

The hospital, part of a nonprofit Catholic healthcare system with 140 hospital centers across the United States, has stated that it is investigating what happened.