A doctor who performed a botched operation on a patient which led to his death, had his licence suspended by the Miami Florida State surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo.
The US doctor, Thomas Shaknovsky, is accused of removing William Bryan’s liver instead of the spleen, which resulted into his immediate death.
According to the New York Post, Bryan and his wife Beverly, were visiting Florida from their home in Alabama when he began experiencing lower left abdominal pain.
It’s said the couple went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital where doctors were concerned about an abnormality of the spleen and they admitted him for further testing.
The publication said tests revealed a suspected enlarged spleen and blood in the peritoneum with no active haemorrhage.
It was further reported that it was Shaknovsky who recommended that Bryan undergoes a laparoscopic splenectomy, a procedure to remove the spleen, but the 70-year-old patient refused and expressed his wish to go back to Alabama. However, Shaknovsky convinced him to get the surgery immediately.
Moreover, the publication said there were concerns from the operating room. Staff noted that there weren’t enough doctors to perform the complicated procedure and Shaknovsky wasn’t well equipped for the operation.
“Staff had concerns that Dr Shaknovsky did not have the skill level to safely perform this procedure,” Ladapo was quoted saying in his report.
Miami Herald reported that during the procedure, doctors witnessed Shaknovsky allegedly dissecting the wrong organ as Bryan was bleeding out in the process.
It was said Shaknovsky placed an identifiable liver on the table and said it was a spleen.
“One staff member felt sick to their stomach,” Ladapo was quoted saying at the time.
Staff’s attempts to resuscitate Bryan were unsuccessful.
Speaking to USA Today, a lawyer from Zarzaur Law firm, which is representing Bryan’s wife, said they will be filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against Shaknovsky.
Upon investigating Bryan's death, the legal team found that this was not the first time Shaknovsky mistakenly performed surgery on the incorrect part of a patient's body.
In 2023, at the same hospital, Shaknovsky mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of the adrenal gland.
The matter was settled out of court and Shaknovsky continued to work as a surgeon at the hospital.
“Dr. Shaknovsky’s continued practice as an osteopathic physician presents an immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare, and safety of the public,” Ladapo was quoted saying when suspending Shaknovsky.