Doctor indicted for manslaughter after allegedly removing wrong organ from patient
04/14/2026 6:00 pm PDT
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (TCN) -- A doctor has been indicted on a second-degree manslaughter charge after a patient died during surgery when the wrong internal organ was removed.
According to The Associated Press, the indictment was announced April 13. On Aug. 21, 2024, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky allegedly removed a patient’s liver instead of the spleen during a laparoscopic splenectomy. Law enforcement said this caused “catastrophic blood loss” and the 70-year-old patient died during the operation.
Shaknovsky had reportedly recommended the surgery to the patient after he complained about abdominal pain. Imaging showed that the patient’s spleen was enlarged and he had blood in the peritoneum, NBC News reports. According to a filing obtained by the outlet, the patient reportedly wanted to go home, but Shaknovsky allegedly pressured him into the surgery. While undergoing the operation, the patient went into cardiac arrest.
The filing obtained by NBC states, “Dr. Shaknovsky removed an organ he believed to be the spleen, but due to his shock and the chaos, he was unable to properly identify the organ.”
Following the incident, Shaknovsky’s medical licenses were revoked or suspended in multiple states, per NBC.
Shaknovsky had been accused of medical malpractice in the past, and in one instance, the alleged malpractice led to a patient’s death. In 2023, he was accused of taking out part of a patient’s pancreas during a surgery for left adrenal gland removal, and in 2024, he allegedly removed part of a patient’s intestine. This led to an ICU stay for the patient, who later died, according to NBC.
Following his arrest on April 13, Shaknovsky is being held in jail while awaiting his next court appearance, according to WPEC.
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