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Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a 44-year-old osteopathic surgeon with a practice in Destin, Florida, was arrested this Monday and charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter after removing the liver instead of the spleen from a man.
Severe medical negligence that occurred during surgery in August 2024 led to his death on the operating table.
The indictment occurs after a grand jury in Walton County determined that there is probable cause to prosecute him, considering that his actions in the operating room "constituted criminal conduct under Florida law", according to local press.
The doctor is facing charges for the death of William Bryan, a 70-year-old man residing in Alabama, who passed away while undergoing surgery at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital.
An operation that ended in tragedy
According to the investigation, Shaknovsky was performing a laparoscopic splenectomy—a surgery to remove the spleen—when he allegedly removed the patient's liver by mistake.
The authorities indicated that this action "caused catastrophic blood loss and the patient's death on the operating table."
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson emphasized the importance of the process: “Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favoritism. The grand jury has spoken, and our responsibility is to ensure that the charges are processed through due legal process.”
A patient who did not want to undergo surgery
The drama began days before the surgery. Bryan and his wife, Beverly, were in Florida managing a property when he started to feel a sharp pain in his side.
After going to the hospital, the doctors detected a mass on the spleen and recommended a surgical intervention.
However, the family was not convinced.
"I told him that we didn't want to have surgery in Florida, that we wanted to go home," Beverly recalled after the tragedy, but - according to her testimony - the doctor insisted: "He said, 'Well, you won't be able to get him home. He will bleed out. He is bleeding internally.'"
Finally, Bryan agreed to undergo surgery. Unfortunately, he did not survive the operation.
The doctor's account and the autopsy findings
After the operation, Shaknovsky explained to the wife that the cause of death had been the rupture of a splenic aneurysm.
However, the autopsy revealed a very different reality: the patient's spleen was intact, and in its place, the liver had been removed.
"I just couldn't believe it," Beverly said upon seeing the results.
During the investigation, the doctor himself acknowledged that he had difficulties correctly identifying the organs.
He claimed that he acted in a state of "shock and confusion," and that the patient's anatomy was unusual.
In his account to the authorities, he admitted that he blindly introduced instruments into the abdomen and could not clearly distinguish the organ he was extracting.
A surgery described as chaotic
The testimonies of the medical staff paint an alarming picture inside the operating room.
According to official documents, the present team expressed concern about the complexity of the procedure and the surgeon's lack of experience.
The intervention took place at the end of the day, with a reduced staff, and led to a critical situation when the patient began to bleed profusely.
According to those testimonies, the doctor continued the operation even when the abdomen was filled with blood and without using essential tools.
At a crucial moment, upon identifying a blood vessel, he would have said: “That’s scary.”
The extracted organ - which was later confirmed to be the liver - was initially labeled as "spleen."
A medical history under suspicion
The case is not an isolated event. Various health authorities had already documented concerning background information regarding Shaknovsky's history.
In Alabama, where he also held a license, he was accused of two other instances of malpractice in 2023.
In one of them, he allegedly removed part of the pancreas instead of the adrenal gland during a routine surgery.
In another case, an improper intestinal resection was performed, resulting in the death of a patient.
The authorities of that state warned that the doctor "could pose an immediate danger to his patients and the public."
His license was suspended in Florida shortly after Bryan's death, and it was later suspended in Alabama and New York as well.
Detention and ongoing judicial process
Shaknovsky remains detained in the Walton County jail and faces a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.
So far, it has not been confirmed whether he/she has legal representation.
Meanwhile, the hospital where the intervention took place has stated that the doctor was not a direct employee of the institution and has not practiced there since August 2024.
The death of William Bryan has sparked outrage among both health professionals and the public.
Beyond the criminal proceedings, the case raises questions about medical controls, surgical oversight, and patient safety.
For the family, however, the blow is irreversible: an intervention that could have been avoided has turned into a tragedy that now seeks justice in the courts.
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