FLORIDA — A grand jury in Tallahassee indicted Florida surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky on a manslaughter charge in April 2026 after he removed a patient's liver instead of his spleen during a planned splenectomy in August 2024. Shaknovsky, 44, was arrested on April 13, 2026, in Miramar Beach, Florida, and pleaded not guilty, according to court filings.

The patient, 70-year-old William Bryan, died on the operating table. According to his death certificate, a medical examiner determined that Bryan died of exsanguination and surgical removal of the liver. The Walton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Shaknovsky's actions inflicted on Bryan "catastrophic blood loss and the patient's death on the operating table."

After Bryan began bleeding extensively during the surgery, his heart stopped. Medical staff performed chest compressions while Shaknovsky attempted to find the source of the bleeding. After removing Bryan's liver, Shaknovsky instructed a nurse to label the organ as a "spleen" and identified the removed organ as a spleen in Bryan's postoperative notes, according to a deposition.

In a deposition, Shaknovsky said, "After 20 minutes of struggling — desperately trying — to save his life, that's when the wrong-site event took place." He also said, "I went there to cry because I was devastated. I didn't want the staff to see me like that."

A separate lawsuit filed by Beverly Bryan accuses Shaknovsky of medical malpractice and names his former private practice. The lawsuit alleges that Shaknovsky omitted any reference to Bryan's liver being removed to cover up his gross negligence/recklessness and avoid embarrassment. The lawsuit states that a medical examiner told Beverly Bryan that her husband's spleen was anatomically "nearly normal." The case is ongoing.

If convicted as charged, Shaknovsky would face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.