A Florida surgeon has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after prosecutors alleged he removed a 70-year-old patient’s liver instead of his spleen during surgery, causing catastrophic blood loss that killed the man on the operating table. The case has drawn national attention in the United States over questions of surgical safety, medical oversight and criminal liability in the operating room. The doctor, Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, was indicted by a Walton County grand jury in connection with the August 21, 2024 death of William Bryan, a resident of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who was in Florida when he sought treatment for severe abdominal pain. Bryan underwent what authorities said was intended to be a laparoscopic splenectomy at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital. Investigators allege the procedure went fatally wrong when Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver rather than his spleen. According to prosecutors, the mistake was not a minor surgical error but conduct they believe rose to the level of a criminal offense. State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said in a statement reported by the Associated Press that the case “is not about simple medical negligence or an honest mistake.” She added, “The grand jury found that Dr. Shaknovsky’s actions constituted reckless disregard for human life.” Surgery turned deadly Authorities said Bryan died during the operation after suffering massive hemorrhaging. Investigators and medical reviewers alleged that Shaknovsky failed to recognize the organ he had removed was the liver and continued with the procedure despite signs that something had gone seriously wrong. Reporting on the case said prosecutors also alleged that the liver was later identified as a spleen in the operating room, further intensifying scrutiny over what happened during the surgery. The charge followed an investigation by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the Office of the State Attorney for Florida’s First Judicial Circuit, and medical authorities. Sheriff Michael Adkinson said the case reflected a duty to pursue accountability when a death occurs under such circumstances. License suspended, legal battle ahead Following the incident, Florida health regulators suspended Shaknovsky’s medical license. Reports also said he voluntarily surrendered his Alabama license and no longer holds a New York license. He was arrested in Miramar Beach and booked into the Walton County Jail. If convicted on the second-degree manslaughter charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine under Florida law. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast said it was conducting its own internal review and stressed its commitment to patient safety, though it did not publicly discuss the details of the operation itself. The case is likely to remain closely watched because it sits at the intersection of medicine and criminal law. While malpractice claims are common after deadly medical errors, criminal charges against surgeons are far rarer. In this case, prosecutors appear determined to argue that the alleged mistake went beyond negligence and amounted to reckless conduct in the operating room.