A Florida doctor’s medical license has been suspended in the wake of a shocking allegation. On Sept. 24, the Florida Department of Health issued an emergency suspension of Thomas J. Shaknovsky’s medical license after the doctor of osteopathic medicine allegedly removed the wrong organ from William Bryan during surgery, resulting in his death.
The situation started on Aug. 18 when Bryan, 70, went to the hospital complaining of stomach pain. Bryan was eventually determined to have an enlarged spleen, which Shaknovsky suggested be treated via surgery. Bryan refused surgery for three days, but eventually agreed to undergo the operation.
Shaknovsky scheduled a laparoscopic splenectomy. That allegedly caused concern amongst hospital staff due to their skeletal crew. That crew additionally allegedly questioned the doctor’s ability to perform the procedure.
Once the surgery began, Shaknovsky allegedly converted the laparoscopic procedure to an open one due to poor visibility. In his operative report, Shaknovsky claimed that he identified the spleen before a splenic artery aneurysm spontaneously ruptured. Bryan’s vitals plummeted and a code was called. Afterwards, Shaknovsky claimed that he gained control of the aneurysm and removed the spleen.
However, Shaknovsky’s report allegedly contained “deceptive and untrue statements.” OR staff recounted events that were “markedly more troublesome” than the doctor claimed. Namely, the emergency order claims that Shaknovsky removed the liver, not the spleen.
Per the emergency order, one staff member felt sick to their stomach after Shaknovsky claimed Bryan’s liver was a spleen. After Bryan was pronounced dead, Shaknovsky allegedly returned to the operating room three times. Each time, he allegedly claimed that the patient died of a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm.
“The staff in the room felt that Dr. Shaknovsky was attempting to convince them that this is what occurred, even though they witnessed something different,” the emergency order reads.
Shaknovsky, who once allegedly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas during an adrenalectomy, “denied wrongdoing and claimed that the patient’s organs ‘migrated’ to an unusual place in the body or presented with abnormal anatomy.” However, the Department of Health argued that Shaknovsky presented “an immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare, and safety of the public.”
According to Zarzaur Law, P.A., the firm representing Bryan’s widow, Beverly, the medical examiner ruled Bryan’s manner of death a homicide. Beverly Bryan is pursuing criminal and civil proceedings against Shaknovsky.
“My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky,” Bryan’s widow said. “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.”
The post Florida Man Dies After Doctor Allegedly Removes Wrong Organ During Surgery appeared first on VICE.
The post Florida Man Dies After Doctor Allegedly Removes Wrong Organ During Surgery appeared first on VICE.
