Updated at 1:45pm with a statement from Ascension Sacred Heart
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A Destin surgeon is facing serious allegations after reportedly removing a patient’s liver during a procedure intended to remove the spleen, resulting in the patient’s death.
- Attorney Joe Zarzaur of Zarzaur Law, P.A. issued a press release on behalf of Beverly Bryan, whose husband William Bryan died on August 21, 2024, during a surgical procedure at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County.
According to the press release, Mr. Bryan, 70, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was visiting a rental property in Okaloosa County when he began experiencing left-sided flank pain. He was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital for further studies due to concern for an abnormality of the spleen.
Mr. Bryan and his wife were initially reluctant to proceed with surgery in Florida, according to Zarzaur. The release states that Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, a general surgeon, and Dr. Christopher Bacani, Chief Medical Officer of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, were involved in discussions about the planned procedure. The family ultimately decided to proceed with the surgery at the hospital.
During what was supposed to be a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy, Dr. Shaknovsky allegedly removed Mr. Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. This action reportedly caused “immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death.”
- The surgeon is said to have labeled the removed organ as a “spleen,” and the error was only discovered after Mr. Bryan’s death.
According to Zarzaur, Dr. Shaknovsky told Mrs. Bryan after the procedure that the “spleen” was so diseased it was four times larger than usual and had migrated to the other side of Mr. Bryan’s body. However, the family was later informed that Mr. Bryan’s actual spleen was still in his body and appeared to have a small cyst on its surface.
Mrs. Bryan has hired Zarzaur to pursue justice for her husband. “My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky. I don’t want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital that should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes,” she is quoted as saying in the press release.
Zarzaur claims this is not the first instance of a wrong-site surgery involving Dr. Shaknovsky. According to the attorney, the doctor mistakenly removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of performing an adrenal gland resection in 2023. That case was reportedly settled confidentially.
In a YouTube video posted on August 30, 2024, Zarzaur stated, “We’re dealing with somebody that has a history of wrong site surgery. Unfortunately for our client, what he took out was fatal to Mr. Bryan.” The attorney expressed concern about Dr. Shaknovsky’s continued practice at both Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital and North Walton Doctors Hospital.
In a subsequent video update on August 31, Zarzaur reported that North Walton Doctors Hospital had removed Dr. Shaknovsky from their list of providers and taken down a Facebook post that had listed him as a director of surgery.
- Zarzaur applauded this decision, stating, “I certainly want to applaud the efforts of North Walton Doctors Hospital for doing that.”
As of September 3, 2024, Zarzaur stated in a Facebook video that civil lawsuits cannot be filed immediately in Florida due to tort reform laws requiring a pre-suit period for medical malpractice cases. He explained, “Basically, you can’t file a lawsuit against a doctor or hospital in the state of Florida for medical malpractice until you’ve gone through what’s called the pre-suit period.”
The case is ongoing, with Zarzaur indicating potential legal action against multiple parties, including the doctors involved, nurses, and the hospital for credentialing issues. He emphasized that the reason for going public with the case was to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
- Zarzaur expressed frustration with the slow pace of official action in such cases, stating, “I know how slow hospitals act. I know how slow the board of medicine acts in regards to revoking privileges and suspending licenses. That can take months.”
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital sent Get The Coast the following statement:
- “We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003. Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation.“
The current status of Dr. Shaknovsky’s medical privileges at the hospital remains unclear, with Zarzaur noting that the doctor’s biography had been removed from the hospital’s webpage.
“Our goal at Zarzaur Law is to get justice for the Bryan family and make our community safer one case at a time,” said Zarzaur. “While most doctors are doing excellent work to keep us healthy, there is a small percentage that should not be practicing medicine.”
One Response
I had a bad experience with this doctor in 2022. He put in and removed a port. After the removal of the port a festering wound appeared the next day as puss was pronounced and organically released leaving a gapping infected wound.
My daughter is a nurse and was able to to immediately take precautions and medicate the wound. I called his office for several days in order to get an appointment, antibiotics, opinion to no avail. I was then forced to go to an emergency room for examination and treatment. I spent over 8 hours waiting to be seen. It was touch and go for many weeks before healing of the infection was eradicated and healed
I registered a complaint without any follow up from him or his staff. His aftercare was miserable.