Man dies after wrong organ allegedly removed during surgery at Northwest Florida hospital

ACCUSED OF REMOVING THE WRONG ORGAN DURING A RECENT SURGERY, ALLEGEDLY RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF AN ALABAMA MAN. WILLIAM BRYAN DIED AUGUST 21ST, JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE HIS WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. WHEN HIS LIVER WAS REMOVED DURING AN OPERATION WHICH WAS INTENDED TO REMOVE HIS SPLEEN. HE WAS 70 YEARS OLD. W E A R S KERRIS HARMON JOINS US NOW IN KARRIS. HIS WIDOW IS DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY. >>SHE IS SUING THIS IS WHY. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS DIAGRAM. YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THE LIVER AND THE SPLEEN ARE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF YOUR BODY. THE ALLEGED MIX UP PROVED DEADLY. HIS WIFE SAYING IT'S DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT, BUT SHE DOESN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO GO THROUGH THIS. BEVERLY BRYANT AND HER HUSBAND, BILL, TRAVELED FROM MUSCLE SHOALS ALABAMA, TO ENJOY A VACATION AT THEIR CONDO IN DESTIN. WHILE THEY WERE THERE, HER HUSBAND BEGAN FEELING PAIN ON HIS LEFT SIDE >>SO WE WENT TO SACRED HEART ON THE EMERALD COAST, AND HE WAS ADMITTED AND BECAME A PATIENT OF DOCTOR SZEPANOWSKI. >>AFTER RUNNING TESTS, SHE SAYS DOCTORS IDENTIFIED A CYST THAT HAD RUPTURED AND BLED AROUND HIS SPLEEN. SHE SAYS SHE WANTED TO BRING HER HUSBAND BACK TO NORTH ALABAMA TO SEE HIS OWN DOCTORS. >>I TRIED TO CONVINCE DOCTOR SHATUNOVSKY TO LET ME TAKE HIM HOME OR ARRANGE FOR HIM TO BE TRANSPORTED BUT DOCTOR SHACKNASTY SAID THAT BILL WOULD BLEED TO DEATH IF HE WAS MOVED. >>ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21ST, BILL UNDERWENT SURGERY TO REMOVE HIS SPLEEN. BY THAT EVENING, BILL WAS DEAD. >>THEY TOOK HIM FROM US WHILE HE WAS COMPLETELY HELPLESS ON AN OPERATING ROOM TABLE. THEY REMOVED HIS LIVER INSTEAD OF HIS SPLEEN. SO OF COURSE, HE BLED TO DEATH ON THE OPERATING ROOM TABLE. EVERYONE KNOWS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITH WITHOUT YOUR LIVER IT'S ABOUT THE SAME THING AS IF THEY HAD PULLED OUT YOUR HEART. HIS HEART, ACCORDING TO A REPORT FROM ASCENSION, SACRED HEART, EMERALD COAST >>DOCTOR THOMAS SHATUNOVSKY IS IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIMARY SURGEON. ATTORNEY JOE ZARZOUR, WHO WAS HIRED BY THE FAMILY, GAVE US WHAT IS CALLED THE OPERATIVE DOCUMENTATION FROM THE HOSPITAL. IT DETAILS THE OPERATION AND WHAT LED UP TO IT. THE DOCUMENT REVEALS BRYAN WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL ON AUGUST 18TH. IT INDICATES SEVERAL TESTS WERE DONE, INCLUDING AN MRI AND A CT SCAN. >>MY CLIENT WAS WENT TO SACRED HEART, EMERALD COAST WITH PAIN, DISCOMFORT AND HE WAS TREATED AND DOCTOR SHATUNOVSKY RECOMMENDED THAT HE GO THROUGH A SPLENECTOMY, WHICH IS A REMOVAL OF THE SPLEEN. >>WHEN BRYAN WENT INTO SURGERY, ZARZOUR SAYS THAT'S WHEN SOMETHING WENT WRONG. THE REPORT SAYS BRYAN LOST A LOT OF BLOOD DURING THE PROCEDURE AND HIS BLOOD PRESSURE DROPPED ABRUPTLY, SENDING HIM INTO CARDIAC ARREST. EFFORTS TO RESUSCITATE HIM WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENT. ZARZOUR ALSO PROVIDED THE SURGICAL PATHOLOGY REPORT FROM THE HOSPITAL THAT SHOWED THE ORGAN, LABELED SPLEEN, WAS SOMETHING ELSE >>DOCTOR SHATUNOVSKY WAS INTENDING TO TAKE THE SPLEEN OUT WHEN THE SPLEEN WAS SENT TO PATHOLOGY AT THE HOSPITAL. THE PATHOLOGIST AT THE HOSPITAL AFTER THE PROCEDURE WAS OVER SAID THIS IS NOT A SPLEEN. THIS IS A LIVER. >>ZARZOUR POINTED TO THE OPERATIVE DOCUMENTS SAYING, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE DOCTOR REPORTED. >>THE DOCTOR REPORTED AS IF IT WAS A SPLEEN COMPLICATION AND THAT THE PATIENT HAD ACTUALLY DIED FROM A SPLEEN OPERATION THAT WENT BAD RIGHT? >>I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY WIFE THAT HAS LOST HER HUSBAND SUDDENLY, BUT THE LOSS OF MY BILL WAS EXCEPTIONALLY UNNECESSARY AND BRUTAL. >>SHE WANTS I WOULD TO WRITE. SHE WANTS THE CRIMINAL CASE TO PROCEED SHE WANTS A CULPABLE NEGLIGENCE CASE. AND THE CRIMINAL SIDE. AND SHE WANTS EVERYBODY. WHETHER IT'S ONE DOCTOR OR DOCTORS AND NURSES OR MULTIPLE DOCTORS AND A HOSPITAL. SHE WANTS EVERYBODY TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE SO THAT THEY DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. YOUR RISK MANAGEMENT TEAM SHOULDN'T BE MORE ROBUST THAN YOUR CREDENTIALING TEAM AT A HOSPITAL. >>ASCENSION SACRED HEART EMERALD COAST DID NOT ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INCIDENT OR ABOUT DOCTOR SINOFSKY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOSPITAL FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, RELEASING ONLY THIS STATEMENT. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILY. SACRED HEART. EMERALD COAST LEADERSHIP IS INVESTIGATING THIS MATTER. THE WALTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS ALSO INVESTIGATING BRYAN'S DEATH. IN A STATEMENT, IT SAYS IT IS REVIEWING THE FACTS TO DETERMINE IF ANYTHING CRIMINAL TOOK PLACE. THE AGENCY ALSO ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC'S PATIENCE AS IT SAYS THESE CASES ARE, QUOTE EXTREMELY COMPLEX AND TAKE TIME TO INVESTIGATE. BRYAN SAYS HER HUSBAND LEAVES BEHIND THREE CHILDREN AND EIGHT GRANDCHILDREN. SHE DESCRIBED HIM AS HONEST, KIND AND DEPENDABLE SAYING HE DESERVES JUSTICE. >>OUR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY IS DEVASTATED BY WHAT'S HAPPENED, AND WE FEEL THAT IT IS OUR DUTY TO SPREAD AWARENESS AND WARN OTHERS >>A LAWSUIT HAS NOT BEEN FILED AT THIS TIME. UNDER FLORIDA LAW, A PRE-SUIT PROCESS MUST HAPPEN BEFORE A MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAWSUIT CAN BE FILED. ZARZOUR TELLS US HE INTENDS TO FILE THAT LAWSUIT. WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE TO REQUEST INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTOPSY TO CONFIRM BRYAN'S LIVER WAS REMOVED INSTEAD OF HIS SPLEEN. WE HAVE NOT YET HEARD. BACK IN THE STUDIO, KERRIS HARMON WEAR NEWS