A 70-year-old American man died on the surgery table when a doctor accidentally took out his liver instead of the spleen, it was alleged this week.
The extraordinary case of possible medical negligence occurred as William Bryan and his spouse Beverly were enjoying some downtime at their holiday home in Okaloosa County, Florida, when he began to suffer from searing lower left abdominal pain. He was promptly taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Florida for medical attention.
Subsequent medical evaluations revealed Bryan had hemoperitoneum and splenic injury, sparking an urgent health crisis. Initially hesitant, Bryan’s wife was persuaded to approve of immediate surgery due to the looming risk of deadly complications, as explained by Attorney Joe Zarzaur on behalf of the widow, reports The Mirror US.
On August 21st, Bryan was lined up for a splenectomy to remove his damaged spleen, located in the upper quadrant of his abdomen. Surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky talked through the “risks, benefits, and alternatives” of the procedure with the couple.
Nonetheless, according to the info held by the lawyer, a catastrophic error occurred the surgeon reportedly excised Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen.
The tragic mix-up during surgery led to his death after a major artery was severed, causing massive blood loss, confirmed by the attorney. The doctor reportedly failed to spot the error quickly enough and even misidentified the removed liver as “spleen.”
Post-mortem revealed liver removed instead of spleen
A post-mortem examination revealed that Bryan’s liver had been taken out and not his spleen, which was found intact with a cyst, explained Zarzaur in Tuesday’s press briefing: “I have the pleasure of representing Mrs. Bryan and her family. Unfortunately, we represent her in one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice that I’ve ever been involved with.”
Zarzaur further commented on the condition of the spleen, stating: “The spleen had a small cyst on it that had some hemorrhage around it, but it was not a fatal issue. It was a fairly routine-looking cyst. It probably would have been very treatable.”
Mrs. Bryan recounted the pain of her family, who are “heartbroken and angry” because her husband died “due to the incompetence of the doctors involved in the negligence of the Ascension Hospital,” The Mirror US reports.
She said, “They took him from us while he was completely helpless on the operating table. They removed his liver instead of his spleen, so of course, he bled to death on the operating table.”
Describing the tragedy that unfolded, Mrs. Bryan labeled her husband’s death as “unnecessary and brutal” sharing how their Alabama community has been left “devastated” In a touching tribute, she continued:
“He brought joy to every life that he ever touched. He was the best husband and father that I could have possibly asked for…I’ll get through this and I’m going to be strong for him because he deserves justice for this,” she said per The Mirror US.
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