The family of an Alabama man who died during surgery is suing the Florida hospital where it was performed, claiming surgeons removed the wrong organ. USA Today was reported.
On August 18, 70-year-old William Bryan went to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, FL to have a splenectomy, according to Joe Zarzaur, attorney for the Bryan family. Bryan began suffering “severe abdominal pains” while vacationing with his wife of 33 years, Beverly, in nearby Destin.
According to the surgical pathology report USA Today Through Zarzaur, Shaknovsky diagnosed Bryan with hemoperitoneum and splenic injury or splenic hemorrhage. After discussing the removal of the spleen and informing Bryant and Beverly of the “risks, benefits and alternatives” of the procedure, surgeon Thomas Shaknovsky performed the procedure.
During the initial consultation, Beverly expressed her desire to return to Destin before her husband underwent the procedure. However, Shaknovsky allegedly told him that Bryan could bleed if he was transported in his current condition.
The report notes that doctors removed Bryan's “large” spleen during the Aug. 21 operation, during which he died from significant blood loss. “The case was discussed at length with the patient's wife and family and they were informed of the unfortunate developments,” the report said. “We discussed all the events related to the surgery with the family. All questions were answered.”
However, after the procedure, a pathologist discovered that the “spleen” actually contained liver tissue, according to Zarzaur. A medical examiner later confirmed that Bryan's liver had been removed and a cyst was still present in his spleen.
“There was a small cyst on the spleen with bleeding around it, but it was not fatal,” Zarzaur said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It was a fairly routine-looking cyst. It probably would have been very treatable.”
“We take allegations like this very seriously, and our management team is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident,” a hospital spokeswoman said in an email. “Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We treat the privacy of our patients as a top priority. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation.”
Beverly Bryan also made an emotional statement at Tuesday's press conference, calling her husband's death “unnecessary and brutal.”
“I was lucky enough to be William Bryan's wife and I will always be grateful for the time I spent with him,” she said. “We have three children (and) eight grandchildren, and they are grateful for the time they spent with him.”
Beverly went on to say that she is “heartbroken and angry that Bill is not here because of the incompetence of the doctors involved in the negligence of Ascension Hospital. He was taken from us while he was completely helpless on the operating table. Instead of his spleen, his liver was removed, so of course he bled on the operating table.”
“He brought joy to the lives of everyone he ever touched,” Beverly said. “He was the best husband and father I could have asked for… I will get through this and be strong for him because he deserves justice for that.”