Man died while 'helpless' on operating table after surgeon 'removed the wrong organ'

A widow has called for a civil and criminal lawsuit against a surgeon after alleging he removed the wrong organ from her husband's body while on the operating table, resulting in his death.

70-year-old William Bryan ‘died while helpless’ after the surgeon allegedly removed his liver instead of his spleen, his grieving wife has claimed.

Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan, is now seeking legal action against Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County, Florida, following the death of her husband of 33 years.

Alabama local William died as he underwent an emergency procedure, according to Zarzaur Law, the legal firm representing Beverly.

William was reportedly reluctant to even have the procedure, but according to the law firm, he was pushed into it by medics when he would have rather traveled back to see his doctor in Alabama.

William Bryan's widow alleges that the surgeon operating on her husband removed the wrong organ during an emergency procedure (Facebook/Zarzaur Law)

The couple had been visiting their rental property in Okaloosa County last month when William suddenly began to complain that he was experiencing pain in his side.

Zarzaur Law allege that the pensioner was warned he 'could experience serious complications if he left the hospital' by Dr. Shaknovsky and the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Christopher Bacani.

William agreed to have the operation and on 21 August, he was taken into surgery to undergo a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy procedure, where medics were supposed to remove his spleen.

According to a MailOnline report, following the unsuccessful surgery, Dr. Shaknovsky told Beverly that her husband’s 'spleen was so diseased that it was four times bigger than usual and had migrated to the other side of (his) body'.

The law firm said William died when the removed liver tore blood vessels connected to the organ, 'causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss resulting in death'.

In a statement, Beverly said: "My husband died while helpless on the operating room table by Dr. Shaknovsky."

Beverly has said she is taking legal action as she doesn't 'want anyone else to die due to his incompetence' (Facebook/Zarzaur Law)

She added she doesn't 'want anyone else to die due to his incompetence at a hospital', and claimed that they 'should have known or knew he had previously made drastic, life-altering surgical mistakes'.

A spokesperson for Ascension said in a statement to USA TODAY: "We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event."

The statement continued. "Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has a longstanding history of providing safe, quality care since the hospital opened its doors in 2001.

"Patient safety is and remains our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family. We hold the privacy of our patients in the highest regard. We do not comment on specific patient cases or active litigation."

LADbible Group has contacted the Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast for comment.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.