Alabama suspends medical license of doctor who fatally removed wrong organ during surgery

Back in early September, a Muscle Shoals man died during a surgery in Florida in a death that the family claimed resulted from the wrong organ being removed from the patient at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Miramar Beach.

According to the family of William Bryan, 70, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky believed that the man’s liver was his spleen and the error resulted in Bryan’s death.

This week in a release by the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners, it was announced that Shaknovsky’s medical license has been suspended by the state.

The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners filed a complaint against Dr. Shaknovsky, which led to the decision from the Licensure Commission. According to the commission’s order, Dr. Shaknovsky “may constitute an immediate danger to his patients and the public.”

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“Our family and community is devastated by what’s happened and we feel that it is our duty to spread awareness and warn others,” said Beverly Bryan at the time of the death.

“Bill had worked hard all his life to be able to afford a small condo at the beach, and we loved it down there. He was just absolutely the finest kind of man you’d ever want to meet. He was honest and dependable and generous, but he was tough. And he could have taken every one of those people in that operating room if he’d have been standing up.”

At the time of the incident, the hospital released a statement saying how seriously the accusation made is being taken.

“We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2003. Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation.”