health
Florida surgeon 'devastated' over death of patient after removing liver instead of spleen
Thomas Shaknovsky botched the surgery of William Bryan, 70, who died on the operating table
TL;DR
- Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is charged with manslaughter after allegedly removing a patient's liver instead of his spleen.
- The patient, 70-year-old William Bryan, died on the operating table due to catastrophic blood loss.
- Shaknovsky stated in a deposition that he is "forever traumatized" and deeply regrets the "incredibly unfortunate event."
- He claimed to have been "mentally compromised" and "devastated" during the surgery.
- The patient's widow has filed a lawsuit accusing Shaknovsky of medical malpractice and attempting to cover up his negligence.
- Shaknovsky reportedly instructed a nurse to label the removed liver as a "spleen" and identified it as such in postoperative notes.
- He expressed difficulty distinguishing organs during the chaotic surgery due to his distress.
- A medical examiner reportedly told the patient's widow that the spleen was "nearly normal" in size, contradicting Shaknovsky's claim that the spleen was enlarged.
- If convicted, Shaknovsky faces up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.