Florida doctor accused of removing wrong organ now faces manslaughter charge after patient dies on operating table
A small measure of justice.
Florida doctor Thomas Shaknovsky is now facing a second-degree manslaughter charge after a grand jury indictment tied to the death of a 70-year-old patient during a botched surgery. The case centers on an August 2024 procedure where Shaknovsky allegedly removed the patient’s liver instead of his spleen, leading to catastrophic blood loss and death on the operating table.
According to NBC News, Shaknovsky, 44, was taken into custody in Miramar Beach, Florida, on April 13, 2012, and booked into the Walton County Jail. The indictment follows a string of serious allegations against the surgeon, including prior instances of malpractice that reportedly resulted in patient deaths.
The victim, Bill Bryan of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, had been visiting a rental property in Florida when he was admitted to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast with abdominal pain. Imaging suggested an enlarged spleen, but prosecutors say Shaknovsky pressured Bryan into surgery despite the patient’s reluctance to proceed in Florida.
The fact that Shaknovsky continued practicing despite prior malpractices is particularly alarming
Court documents allege the doctor continued the operation even after Bryan went into cardiac arrest. When the procedure ended, Shaknovsky reportedly claimed Bryan had died from a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm — a finding later contradicted by an autopsy. The autopsy revealed Bryan’s spleen was untouched, while his liver had been removed entirely.
Bryan’s widow, Beverly, spoke about the ordeal in a phone call, saying the reality of what happened still feels surreal. “When I tell people what happened, it still sounds too awful to be true that that could happen,” she said. “I still have trouble believing it happened myself. Can you imagine?” Beverly has since filed a civil complaint against Shaknovsky, seeking accountability for her husband’s death.
She told reporters she hopes the criminal charges will prevent others from suffering the same fate. “He would want his death to prevent someone else from being hurt, which is what I think the criminal charges being brought will do,” she said. “If we had to suffer through this and he had to die, then at least no one else will be hurt by this man now.”
The allegations against Shaknovsky extend beyond Bryan’s case. Court documents accuse him of two other instances of malpractice, one of which resulted in another patient’s death. In May 2023, Shaknovsky allegedly removed part of a patient’s pancreas during a routine surgery intended to remove the left adrenal gland. That case was settled for $400,000 in 2024, according to public records from the Florida Department of Health.
In another incident from July 2023, Shaknovsky is accused of removing a portion of a patient’s intestine, causing a gastrointestinal perforation. The patient was later moved to the ICU and died. Despite these accusations, Shaknovsky’s public records with the Florida Department of Health indicate he had never been asked to resign or had his medical staff privileges restricted or revoked in the last decade.
Despite this, Shaknovsky’s medical licenses tell a different story
The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners temporarily suspended his license after Bryan’s death, and the Alabama Medical Licensure Commission later revoked it entirely. His Florida license was also suspended in 2024, followed by his New York license in 2025. Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast, where Bryan’s surgery took place, has distanced itself from Shaknovsky.
A spokesperson for the hospital emphasized that safety is their “top priority” and noted that Shaknovsky was never an employee. “Dr. Shaknovsky was never a Sacred Heart Emerald Coast employee and has not practiced at any of our facilities since August 2024,” the spokesperson said. “We remain focused on upholding the standards our patients and community expect of us.”
Bryan’s family has been vocal about their desire for justice, with Beverly hiring a lawyer to pursue both criminal and civil proceedings. In a prior statement, per The Guardian, Beverly said, “My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky. I don’t want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital that should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes.”
The details of Bryan’s botched surgery paint a disturbing picture
According to court filings, Shaknovsky reportedly told Beverly after the procedure that her husband’s “spleen” was so diseased it had grown four times its normal size and migrated to the opposite side of his body. However, the family’s lawyer pointed out that the liver naturally sits on that side of the abdomen and is significantly larger than the spleen. Anatomical records confirmed Bryan’s spleen was still in place, with only a small cyst on its surface.
For Beverly, the past year has been a nightmare of grief and disbelief. She and Bill had been married for 33 years and shared three children and eight grandchildren. Bill, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, worked as a boilermaker before his retirement. His obituary described a life well-lived, making his sudden and senseless death even harder to accept. Beverly’s fight for justice is as much about honoring his memory as it is about preventing future tragedies.
The case has reignited conversations about patient safety and medical accountability. For families like the Bryans, the hope is that this indictment will serve as a wake-up call for hospitals and medical boards to take swift action when red flags emerge. The charges alone mark a significant step toward accountability. For Beverly Bryan, it’s a small measure of justice for a husband she describes as a loving father, grandfather, and veteran.
(Featured image: Zakir Rushanly on Pexels.)
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