Surgeon ‘removed wrong organ and covered up patient’s death’
Surgeon ‘removed wrong organ and covered up patient’s death’
Share:
A surgeon has been suspended after he allegedly covered up a patient’s death when he made a mistake. Dr Thomas Shaknovsky took 70-year-old William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during an operation at the Ascension Sacret Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Florida. William’s family say nurses tried to cover up Shaknovsky’s mistakes, writing false information on his death certificate and other documents.
They filed a lawsuit last week stating that four nurses had ‘misrepresented the cause of death’ last August. William, from Alabama, was visiting his rental property with his wife, Beverley, when he experienced pain on the left side of his body. He initially rejected advice to have surgery because he wanted to see his doctor back at home. But the pain grewtoo much so he agreed to go under the knife.
Beverley said her husband was a ‘homicide victim in the operating room’. Her lawyer Joe Zarzaur said: ‘This heartbreaking loss has devastated the family of William Bryan, and we are seeking justice for this senseless tragedy.’. Shaknovsky’s license was suspended in November by State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo due to ‘repeated egregious surgical errors resulting in significant patient harm’ to William and other patients.
GenesisCare USA of Florida, which was named in the suit, would not comment on pending litigation but told McClatchy News that ‘our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted’. Bryan’s family is seeking over $50,000 in damages for medical and funeral expenses, mental pain and suffering and loss of companionship and protection. In another surgery, Shaknovsky mistakenly removed a patient’s pancreas, according to an emergency suspension order, and in a separate procedure in 2023 his patient died.
The suit was filed nearly a year after a Connecticut doctor was sued for allegedly killing an infant by using a vacuum 15 times during the delivery to try to expedite the birth. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: It’s going to be harder to get weight loss injections now – here’s why. Arrow MORE: American Airlines plane wreckage hoisted out of river with a crane.
