What Would I Have Done? Learning From the Mistakes of Others

On August 21, 2024, William “Bill” Bryan died in the OR after his surgeon, Dr. William Shaknovsky, mistakenly removed Bill’s liver instead of his spleen. Mr. Bryan was scheduled for a laparoscopic splenectomy, but during the operation, “Shaknovsky removed Bryan’s liver and, in so doing, transected the major vasculature supplying the liver, causing immediate and catastrophic blood loss that resulted in  death.”¹