A 47-page report from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration provides details of the procedure that led to a man’s death.
William “Bill” Bryan, 70, had a splenectomy—the removal of the spleen—at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach in August.
Bryan died as a result of Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, DO, allegedly removing his liver instead. Since then, Shaknovsky’s methods have come under scrutiny.
His colleagues did not trust him or the surgery, according to a Florida Agency for Health Care Administration assessment.
One nurse informed the investigators that “we all had this eerie feeling.” Adding that Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast is not a trauma facility, another nurse expressed her opinion that they shouldn’t be performing the treatment.
Family relatives said Bryan planned to go back to Alabama for the surgery while he was living at his Destin rental home. But because of his condition, Shaknovsky allegedly encouraged him to get the surgery at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast.
The report claims that several witnesses saw the organ removed from Bryan during the procedure and were certain it was the liver. But according to reports, Shaknovsky insisted it was the spleen.
Following the procedure, the medical examiner verified the witnesses’ suspicions, saying, “Basically, the liver was autopsied out of that man,” although the spleen seemed unharmed.
The hospital discovered three surgical errors between May 2023 and August 2024, according to the report. All three of those surgical errors involved Shaknovsky.
According to the report, a nurse even informed investigators that “everyone knows he’s not a good surgeon” and that if he was on call, staff members would not bring their families.
In September, Shaknovsky’s license was placed under immediate suspension by the Florida Department of Health.