Wrong organ removed during surgery leads to man's death on Florida operating table
William Bryan, 70, and his wife Beverly were in Florida when he began experiencing pain in his lower left abdomen last month. He was taken to hospital where a doctor made a fatal mistake
A bewildered wife is grieving after her husband died on the surgery table when a doctor accidentally took out the wrong organ, her attorney claims.
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. The 70 year old Alabama local was promptly taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital in Walton County for medical attention.
Subsequent medical evaluations revealed Mr Bryan had hemoperitoneum and splenic injury, sparking an urgent health crisis. Initially hesitant, Mrs Bryan was persuaded to approve 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.
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On a fateful day, August 21, Mr 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 Mr Bryan's liver instead of his spleen.
The tragic mix-up during surgery led to the death of Mr Bryan 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".
However, a post-mortem examination revealed that Mr 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."
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William Bryan's heartbroken widow, who enjoyed 33 beautiful years of marriage with him, fondly remembered her husband. She expressed her gratitude for their life together, saying: "I was lucky enough to be the wife of William Bryan, who's also known as Bill Bryan, and I'll always be grateful for the time that I had with him. We have three children (and) eight grandchildren and they're grateful for the time that they had with him too."
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."
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 labelled 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."
Ascension Hospital responded to the grave incident with a commitment to rigor, announcing via a statement to USA Today that a "thorough investigation" is underway. It stated, "We take allegations like this very seriously, and our leadership team is performing a thorough investigation into this event."
Highlighting its reputation, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast assured the public of its dedication to care, adding: "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."
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