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Florida Surgeon Charged After Removing Man’s Liver Instead of His Spleen Says He Was ‘Too Upset’ to Notice the Difference

Shaknovsky said heavy bleeding and poor visibility during the splenectomy led to the wrong organ being removed, and Bryan later died of exsanguination.

  • In April, a grand jury indicted Florida surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky on a manslaughter charge following the August 2024 death of 70-year-old William Bryan during surgery.
  • During an eight-hour deposition, Shaknovsky explained the procedure became complicated when Bryan began bleeding heavily; after 20 minutes of struggling, he mistakenly removed the liver.
  • The medical examiner determined Bryan died of "exsanguination" and "surgical removal of the liver," contradicting Shaknovsky's claim he expected the spleen to be "double the size of what is normal."
  • Following the indictment, authorities arrested Shaknovsky in Miramar Beach while he was working as a Lyft driver; he lost medical licenses in Florida, Alabama, and New York.
  • Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast stated Shaknovsky was not directly employed by the health system, while the ongoing lawsuit filed by Beverly Bryan continues.
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NBC NewsNBC News
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Florida surgeon who removed wrong organ says he is ‘forever traumatized’ by patient’s death

Thomas Shaknovsky said in a deposition in November that he believed he was removing 70-year-old William Bryan’s spleen, not his liver.

·United States
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Telemundo Area de la Bahía 48Telemundo Area de la Bahía 48
+5 Reposted by 5 other sources

Throughout an eight-hour court statement, Florida surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky faced the same question over and over again: Why did he remove a man’s liver instead of his spleen? The disastrous surgical error that occurred in August 2024 — and the consequent death on the operating table of the 70-year-old patient of Shaknovsky, William Bryan — led Bryan’s widow to file a lawsuit last year and a special jury to charge Shaknovsky with a charge of man…

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NBC News broke the news in United States on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
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