MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A Florida osteopathic doctor accused of removing a patient’s wrong organ has voluntarily surrendered his license to practice medicine in Alabama, where he was also licensed.
The Alabama Medical Licensure Commission accepted the full surrender of Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky’s license Monday following the death of a patient in Florida. His license had already been suspended in both Florida and Alabama.
As First Coast News reported last week, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of Bill Bryan, a veteran who died on the operating table at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach, Florida in August. He died after Shaknovsky removed his liver instead of his spleen, according to the Florida Surgeon General.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo wrote that Shaknovsky, "presents an immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare and safety of the public" citing "egregious surgical errors" and "egregious conduct of fabricating medical records" and issued an emergency suspension order of his license. The 21-page order spells out a history of problems.
In May 2023, it says Shaknovsky removed a portion of a man's pancreas instead of his adrenal gland at that same hospital and claimed the adrenal gland had "migrated" to a different part of the body. Florida Insurance Regulation records show that the patient suffered permanent injuries including loss of fingers and loss or damage to his organs. The case was settled for $400,000, according to the Florida Insurance Regulation records.
In August 2023, another patient operated on by Shaknovsky at the same hospital died from infection complications, following a surgery to remove part of the colon, according to an Agency for Healthcare Administration report.
Joe Zarzaur, the attorney representing Bryan’s widow, says a civil lawsuit remains in its pre-suit stage.
“Once that phase concludes, we will proceed with filing our lawsuit,” Zarzaur said.
A hearing to determine the status of Shaknovsky’s osteopathic physician's license in Florida has not yet been scheduled.
First Coast News reached out to the doctor’s attorney but has not yet heard back.