# Man dies from "splenectomy" where they removed his LIVER instead! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 6, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842 "2024-09-06T02:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/181 "2026-04-17T00:13:12Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > A DO is fine for people who want to pursue family practice, while and MD is almost required to this day for people who want to pursue more specialized or academic medicine. This is true according to my friend who is a prominent surgeon in his field. He chooses doctors for a very difficult to win residency program and he gets way too many applications to read. His first cut is to only look at applicants from the top medical schools and none of the DO programs make the cut. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/182 "2026-04-17T00:50:25Z")
I have no medical training at all beyond Boy Scout first aid, and I’m pretty sure that I could tell the difference between a liver and a spleen. Well, I might not recognize the spleen, but I’d know the liver if I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/183 "2026-04-21T20:30:52Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Doctors ruled the hospital and it would be your job on the line if you crossed one. That attitude could still persist in some places Fuck that shit. Everyone in the operating room is a professional. Life and death is on the line. I’m a retired programmer, I spoke out plenty. The ‘Dr.’ will be sued and lose his license of course. Everyone else that witnessted this should be made to take a class in human anatomy. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/184 "2026-04-21T20:37:37Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Everyone else that witnessted this should be made to take a class in human anatomy. How many other people in the OR for a surgery like this? How many of them would know he’s removing the wrong organ before he did such? Wouldn’t the anesthesiologist be monitoring his gauges & dials & not necessarily looking in the patient’s body cavity? I believe in CRM but how many of those in there are in a position to catch a mistake like this? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/185 "2026-04-21T20:43:04Z")
I’m a programmer, I think I could catch it if watching what was going on. Your right though, the anathesiologist may not be watching. The nurses handing instraments should be. I’ve had a couple of surgeries, pissed me right off that right before they cut mey open, they where talking about football. Ummm… hello, pay attention please. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/186 "2026-04-22T01:04:41Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’ve had a couple of surgeries, pissed me right off that right before they cut mey open, they where talking about football. Ummm… hello, pay attention please. - They should have been talking about golf 'cause they’re about to make a hole in one. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/187 "2026-04-22T01:32:40Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > The nurses handing instraments should be. > > I’ve had a couple of surgeries, pissed me right off that right before they cut mey open, they where talking about football. Ummm… hello, pay attention please. Nurses should be doing the job they’ve been trained and assigned to do. If that’s not watching the surgery to catch mistakes, then they shouldn’t be doing that. And believe it or not, surgeons can chat a bit while they’re waiting for the anesthesia to take effect, and still concentrate 100% on the surgery while they’re actually performing it. Maybe you’ve talked about a TV show with coworkers before you’ve started programming, does that mean your code wasn’t as good as it could have been? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/188 "2026-04-22T02:13:07Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > They should have been talking about golf 'cause they’re about to make a hole in one. After a good slice! ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/189 "2026-04-22T02:41:52Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m a programmer, I think I could catch it if watching what was going on. Your right though, the anathesiologist may not be watching. The nurses handing instraments should be. My sister was an OR nurse (and then later was allowed to tie sutures and other surgeon stuff) for over 20 years. As I understand it, in their small town hospital there were 3 nurses in the OR during an operation: one was a circulating nurse, outside the sterile zone and bringing or taking away things; one was working directly with the surgeon (usually only one surgeon, for the kinds of scheduled and emergency surgeries they had), and another one within the sterile zone but I don’t remember what their duties were. The job of the anesthesiologist does not include watching the surgeon, as I understand it. The job of the nurse working with the surgeon is to make sure that all the necessary stuff is there, tools, sutures, etc. and that the surgeon gets what they need when they ask for it. That is their focus, not overseeing the surgery. From the description, there was apparently an unusual amount of blood, obscuring what was going on even for the surgeon, let alone everyone else. It sounds like the patient died before anyone else had the opportunity to recognize a problem. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/190 "2026-04-22T02:55:03Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > After a good slice! Or a bad slice in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/191 "2026-04-22T03:31:46Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > From the description, there was apparently an unusual amount of blood, There is typically a huge amount of blood during liver surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/192 "2026-04-22T22:34:58Z")
Major bleeding [is also a known risk](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00534-005-1027-7) in splenectomies. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/193 "2026-05-07T14:31:53Z")
For those who were wondering, yes, the surgeon was/is traumatized by the incident: > **[Florida surgeon who removed wrong organ says he is ‘forever traumatized’ by...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/florida-surgeon-removed-wrong-organ-090000490.html)** > > Thomas Shaknovsky said in a deposition in November that he believed he was removing 70-year-old William Bryan’s spleen but accidentally removed his liver. > “That was an incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply, and I’m forever traumatized by it and hurt by it,” he said, according to a transcript of the deposition shared with NBC News by attorney Joe Zarzaur, who represents Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan. So … there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/194 "2026-05-07T14:33:58Z")
Presumably so traumatized that he can’t operate again, although the loss of his medical license already ensured that. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/195 "2026-05-07T14:59:26Z")
Well, if everything was [labeled properly](https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/default/poster/4.5/8/break/images/artworkimages/medium/3/operation-board-game-man-mitchell-patel.jpg) then this wouldn’t have happened in the first place, so it’s not _really_ a highly educated surgeon’s fault; surely the (now-deceased) patient was complicit by having an organ that needed surgery in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/196 "2026-05-07T15:03:26Z")
I got to see a photo of my internal organs last week following surgery the week before. It’s super easy to see which is the liver. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/197 "2026-05-07T15:06:05Z")
(Ghost of patient William Bryan): “_ **You’re** _ traumatized!?” ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/198 "2026-05-07T17:06:59Z")
The one smothered in onions, right? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/199 "2026-05-07T17:15:07Z")
Close. I got to see a laparoscopic photo of my innards taken prior to a surgery. Very colorful and easy to differentiate. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/200 "2026-05-09T21:24:49Z")
but only in Alabama and Florida, unfortunately [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842.md?page=11)