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Florida surgeon who accidentally removed patient’s liver previously lost another patient in botched operation: Complaint

Posted on by Josh L
Florida surgeon who accidentally removed patient’s liver previously lost another patient in botched operation: Complaint

A surgeon from Florida who is mistaken a human liver was removed also had a patient who previously died after changing the procedure at the last minute, according to a new complaint filed against him.

Thomas Shaknovsky had his own medical license suspended in Florida Sept. 24 after his patient, William Bryan, bled during a botched splenectomy. A combat-scarred doctor also had his license suspended in Alabama following a new complaint filed Oct. 22 by the state’s Board of Medical Examiners, according to McClatchy News.

William Bryan and his wife Beverly Bryan before his death after a failed operation<br />in Florida Zarzaur Law” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/.7pMlpJ351p5Q9pPGlCw.Q–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xNjU2/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123/7aa35d040d8ba 5c9203136293a3067db “/><img alt=
William Bryan and his wife Beverly Bryan before his death from surgery
went wrong in Florida. Zarzaur’s law

The complaint alleges that Shacknowski was negligent in the August death of Bryan, of Alabama; his treatment of a patient who had part of his pancreas removed instead of an adrenal gland in May 2023, and the death of a patient who suffered complications from surgery in July 2023.

The patient was scheduled to have an ileostomy, a procedure designed to create an opening in a person’s stomach to change the way waste leaves the body, according to United Dental Associations of America.

Instead, Shaknowski decided to reverse course completely and “decided to perform a resection of (her) bowel, which resulted in a perforation,” according to the complaint.

Dr. Thomas Shacknowski had his medical licenses revoked in Florida and Alabama after numerous botched surgeries. Zarzaur's lawDr. Thomas Shaknovsky had medical licenses </div> </div> </div> <div class=
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky had medical licenses
removed in Florida and Alabama after numerous
catastrophic operations. Zarzaur’s law

A bowel resection involves the removal of “any part of the bowel,” including the small or large intestine, according to the WebMD. The resection is the third known case of Shaknovsky’s unnecessary removal of a whole or part of an organ during surgery.

According to the complaint, which did not say when she died, “the woman’s condition deteriorated after surgery and she was transferred to the intensive care unit, where she later died.” The Florida Department of Public Health has also opened an investigation, according to the complaint.

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach, Florida, where William Bryan died. Google MapsAscension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach, Florida, where William Bryan died. Google Maps

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach, Florida, where William Bryan died. Google Maps

According to the complaint, the investigation found that Shaknovsky and other doctors involved in the operation “improperly used diagnostic testing and delayed the ordering of imaging for timely treatment of sepsis.”

Attorney Joe Zarzaur, who represents Brian’s wife, said in a statement Video on Instagram that Shaknovsky cannot now legally practice medicine anywhere in the United States.

Another former patient of Shacknowski’s also hired Zarzaur after complications from colon surgery in July 2024. The patient also claimed that Shaknovsky threatened him when he first considered seeking legal representation after the surgery.

Shaknowski’s license suspension hearing is set for Dec. 18 under Alabama’s license suspension order.