Florida Surgeon Indicted for Manslaughter Following Fatal Surgical Error
A Florida surgeon has been indicted on a charge of second-degree manslaughter after his patient died during a procedure where the surgeon allegedly removed the patient's liver instead of his spleen. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was arrested on Monday morning and later released on bond, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office.
Details of the Tragic Incident
The indictment stems from an investigation into the death of 70-year-old William Bryan, a Navy veteran and retired boilermaker from Alabama, who passed away in August 2024. Bryan had been visiting a rental property in Florida with his wife, Beverly, when he sought treatment for abdominal pain at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach. Diagnostic imaging had suggested an enlarged spleen.
According to an emergency order from the Florida Department of Health, Shaknovsky reportedly pressured Bryan over three days to undergo surgery in Florida rather than returning home to Alabama for care. Bryan eventually agreed to the procedure.
Surgical Procedure Goes Horribly Wrong
The surgery on August 21, 2024, encountered immediate complications when Shaknovsky switched to an open procedure. Operating room staff informed investigators that Bryan began to bleed heavily after the surgeon used a stapling device on a blood vessel.
As Bryan went into cardiac arrest and blood filled his abdominal cavity, Shaknovsky allegedly continued the operation without requesting tools to control the hemorrhaging. He eventually removed an organ that staff immediately recognized as the liver, noting its wrong color and location on the opposite side of the body from where the spleen should have been.
One witness told investigators they felt "sick to their stomach" when Shaknovsky insisted the organ on the table was a spleen. Though Shaknovsky later claimed a sudden aneurysm in the spleen caused the fatal bleeding, an autopsy found no evidence of a rupture and confirmed the spleen remained entirely intact within the body.
Surgeon's Troubled Medical History
The Florida Department of Health, which suspended Shaknovsky's medical license in September 2024, noted that the surgeon had previously settled a medical malpractice claim for $400,000 in 2023. In that earlier case, he was accused of erroneously removing part of a patient's pancreas instead of an adrenal gland.
In a statement, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital emphasized that surgeons face rigorous credentialing standards and must hold a valid state license to practice. The hospital clarified that Shaknovsky was never an employee and has not practiced at any of their facilities since August 2024.
Family's Heartbreaking Loss
Beverly Bryan, a retired nurse, told reporters that her husband would have wanted his death to prevent others from suffering similar harm. "I never even imagined that he wouldn't come out of that surgery alive," she said. "Living without him is almost unbearable." The couple shared two daughters and a son.
Shaknovsky is scheduled to be arraigned in Walton County Circuit Court on May 19. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
