florida surgeon liver spleen

A tragic medical error occurred during a Florida vacation, resulting in the death of an Alabama man, according to his family’s account. William Bryan, 70, was vacationing in the Florida Panhandle last month when he began suffering from severe pain in his lower left abdomen. Concerned, he and his wife, Beverly, sought medical attention at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital, located between Pensacola and Panama City.

Doctors, worried about a potential issue with his spleen, recommended further tests. After evaluation, General Surgeon Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christopher Bacani advised Bryan that emergency surgery was necessary to avoid life-threatening complications. However, the operation took a devastating turn when Bryan’s liver was mistakenly removed instead of his spleen, leading to his death, as the family’s attorney shared via Zarzaur Law P.A.’s Facebook post on Friday.