Florida surgeon charged with killing man after removing liver instead of spleen

A grand jury in Florida has officially charged surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky with second-degree manslaughter following the tragic death of a patient during a surgical procedure gone horribly wrong. The patient, 70-year-old William Bryan from Alabama, was scheduled for a minimally invasive operation to remove his spleen in August 2024. During the surgery, however, Shaknovsky mistakenly opened Bryan's abdominal cavity and, shockingly, severed the largest vein with a stapling device. This critical error led to severe bleeding, and instead of the spleen, Shaknovsky removed Bryan's healthy liver, resulting in his death. An investigation by the state health department uncovered that Bryan’s spleen was left intact throughout the procedure. The indictment followed a thorough investigation led by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Office of the State Attorney First Judicial Circuit and other medical authorities. Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson expressed his condolences to the victim’s family, stating, "The Grand Jury has spoken, and we are committed to ensuring the proper legal process is followed. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and their unspeakable loss." Shaknovsky was taken into custody on Monday morning but has since been released on bond. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 15 years in prison. Although the indictment has only recently occurred, the details surrounding the tragic incident emerged shortly after Bryan's death. In September 2024, State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo mandated an emergency suspension of Shaknovsky's medical license as the investigation unveiled the circumstances leading up to the fatal surgery. The ordeal began just days before Bryan's demise, when he and his wife visited Florida from Alabama. After experiencing severe pain in his upper left abdomen, Bryan sought treatment at a Miramar Beach hospital, where Shaknovsky served as the on-call surgeon. Initial imaging pointed to a potential enlargement of Bryan’s spleen, alongside the presence of blood in the abdominal cavity, but no active hemorrhage was detected.