A man from Alabama died after a surgeon allegedly removed the wrong organ by mistake, according to his family.
Beverly Bryan, his wife, said, Losing my husband, Bill, was especially unnecessary and heartbreaking.
William Bryan went into surgery to have his spleen removed. However, the surgeon reportedly removed his liver instead. The 70-year-old died within minutes from blood loss.
The family claims the surgeon didn’t realize his mistake. After the operation, he apparently mentioned he had never seen a spleen that large, but he was allegedly talking about the liver.
Anyone who’s taken a basic anatomy class should know the difference between a liver and a spleen, said Joe Zarzaur, the family’s lawyer.
Beverly added, Everyone knows you can’t live without your liver. It’s like they took out his heart.
The hospital, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Walton, Florida, responded by saying, We take these claims seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation. Patient safety is our top priority. Our thoughts are with the family.
A study by Johns Hopkins found that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer.