A Florida surgeon, Thomas Shaknovsky, is facing severe scrutiny after his medical license was suspended in both Florida and Alabama following allegations of fatal mistakes during surgeries. Shaknovsky’s license was first suspended in Florida on September 24 after 55-year-old patient William Bryan bled out during a mismanaged splenectomy. The situation escalated when Alabama’s Board of Medical Examiners filed a complaint on October 22, accusing Shaknovsky of further negligence in Bryan’s case, as well as other severe surgical errors, as reported by McClatchy News.
The Alabama complaint details Shaknovsky’s alleged history of surgical missteps. Among the allegations, one instance involves a May 2023 surgery where a male patient’s pancreas was partially removed instead of his adrenal gland. In a separate case, a female patient scheduled for an ileostomy—a procedure that creates a stomach opening to change waste elimination—died after Shaknovsky changed plans last-minute and opted for a bowel resection instead. This decision led to a perforated bowel, a dangerous condition that caused her health to deteriorate rapidly. According to the complaint, she was moved to the ICU but later passed away, according to the United Ostomy Associations of America.
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration investigated the female patient’s case and determined that Shaknovsky and other attending doctors “failed to appropriately use diagnostic testing and delayed in ordering imaging to timely treat sepsis,” a severe infection that often requires urgent intervention.
Shaknovsky’s actions have led to mounting legal challenges. Attorney Joe Zarzaur, representing Bryan’s wife, stated in an Instagram video that Shaknovsky “cannot legally practice medicine anywhere in the US at this time.” Zarzaur has also been retained by another former patient who experienced complications during a colon surgery performed by Shaknovsky in July 2024. The patient alleges that Shaknovsky even threatened him when he considered legal action.
The complaint against Shaknovsky highlights multiple allegations of negligence, including unnecessary and incorrect organ removals that have led to patient fatalities. These cases, now under investigation, underscore troubling concerns about medical errors and patient safety. As of now, Shaknovsky remains barred from practicing medicine in any U.S. state.