A 70-year-old man died during a laparoscopic splenectomy when the surgeon mistakenly removed his liver, according to a statement from the patient's family lawyer. The incident occurred on August 21, 2024, at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Okaloosa County, Florida.

William Bryan of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was admitted to the hospital for left-sided flank pain and suspected splenic abnormality. Thomas Shaknovsky, DO, a general surgeon, performed the procedure. The error led to blood loss and immediate death in the operating room.

The surgeon reportedly labeled the removed organ as a "spleen" and informed the patient's wife that it was four times larger than normal and had migrated to the opposite side of the body. It was later discovered that the spleen remained in the patient's body with a small cyst on its surface.

This incident follows a previous wrong-site surgery by Dr. Shaknovsky in 2023, where he mistakenly removed a portion of a patient's pancreas instead of the intended adrenal gland. That case was settled confidentially.

The patient's widow, Beverly Bryan, has retained legal counsel and is pursuing both criminal and civil proceedings. 

The hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Christopher Bacani, MD, was reportedly involved in discussions about the procedure's appropriateness and the facility's capabilities. It is unclear whether Dr. Shaknovsky continues to have privileges at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital or other area facilities.