A shocking medical case out of Florida is back in the spotlight after a doctor was arrested years after a surgery that allegedly went horribly wrong ending in a patient’s death.
Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is now facing second-degree manslaughter charges in connection with the August 2024 death of 70-year-old William “Bill” Bryan, an Alabama man who was simply on vacation when everything took a tragic turn.
Bryan and his wife Beverly, a former nurse, were visiting Florida’s Emerald Coast when he started experiencing abdominal pain. What followed, according to investigators, was a series of decisions that would ultimately prove fatal.
Authorities say Bryan was persuaded to undergo surgery to remove his spleen—despite reportedly wanting to return home to see his own doctor. Concerns were also raised inside the operating room, with staff allegedly questioning whether Shaknovsky had the skill to perform the complex procedure.
The surgery took place with what’s been described as a limited, skeleton crew due to staffing shortages.
Then came the devastating mistake.
During the operation, investigators say Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen—triggering catastrophic blood loss that led to his death on the operating table.
Even more alarming, staff reportedly realized something was terribly wrong when the organ removed didn’t match what the doctor claimed. According to reports, Shaknovsky insisted the liver was actually the spleen, leaving at least one staff member feeling physically sick.
Shaknovsky later told investigators he believed Bryan had a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm and claimed he was trying to save his life. But that explanation quickly fell apart.
An autopsy found no evidence that an aneurysm had ever existed.
Instead, the medical examiner determined Bryan died after a critical vein—the inferior vena cava, the body’s largest—was cut during surgery, causing massive internal bleeding. The report also revealed Bryan’s spleen was still in its normal position and completely untouched.
Investigators say Shaknovsky even admitted to firing a surgical stapling device “blindly” into the abdomen in an attempt to stop the bleeding, removing what he believed was the spleen.
The difference between the two organs is significant. Bryan’s liver weighed over 2,100 grams, while even an enlarged spleen would weigh a fraction of that—making the alleged mistake even more shocking.
This isn’t the first time the doctor has faced scrutiny. Reports say he was previously involved in another surgical error, where part of a pancreas was removed instead of an adrenal gland.
Since Bryan’s death, Shaknovsky has been barred from practicing medicine in both Florida and Alabama.
After a grand jury found probable cause, he was arrested in Miramar Beach and remains in custody at the Walton County Jail.
For Bryan’s wife, the case is deeply personal.
“Having worked in the medical field, it disappointed me so much,” Beverly said, adding that she wants justice—not just for her husband, but to ensure the doctor can’t practice medicine again.
“Only way that you know for sure that he wouldn’t be licensed in another state,” she said.
Remove his brain!