Tragic Medical Error Claims Toddler's Life in Florida Hospital
A devastating medication error caused by a misplaced decimal point led to the death of a two-year-old boy with special needs at a Florida hospital, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his grieving mother.
The Fatal Overdose Incident
De'Markus Jeremiah Page tragically passed away on March 3, 2024 at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville after receiving ten times the proper amount of prescribed medication. The little boy had been initially admitted to AdventHealth Ocala Hospital on March 1, 2024, suffering from persistent vomiting, diarrhea and decreased oral intake.
Medical staff discovered critically low potassium levels, prompting his transfer to Shands Hospital for immediate intravenous therapy. During his treatment, doctors prescribed oral potassium phosphate to be administered twice daily at 1.5 mmol, according to legal documents.
The Decimal Point Disaster
The lawsuit reveals that a doctor errantly placed a new order for oral potassium phosphate at 10 times the previous dosage, deleting a critical decimal point from the prior day's dosage of 1.5 mmol. This resulted in the liquid supplement being ordered at 15 mmol twice daily - a potentially fatal amount for an underweight two-year-old.
"This exceedingly high level of potassium would be administered to De'Markus with no rationale, and in addition to two other routes of potassium administration he was already receiving," the family's press release stated. The victim's potassium levels spiked to fatal concentrations, triggering cardiac arrest.
Systemic Failures and Delayed Response
Alarmingly, medical personnel allegedly failed to monitor Page for cardiac-related issues and were unaware he had suffered cardiac arrest. Once alerted to the emergency, there was an over 20-minute delay and multiple failed intubation attempts due to inadequate training and equipment, according to the family's statement.
The press release claims Page should have survived, but the delay in intubation caused prolonged oxygen deprivation, resulting in catastrophic brain injury. The little boy was determined to be brain dead and died in his mother's arms.
"Every day I wake up and look for my son, and he's not there. He's gone, and he didn't have to be," Dominique Page told reporters. "We were sent to Shands Hospital by another hospital, and we trusted Shands Hospital with his care. They killed my little baby boy and never acknowledged any of their wrongdoing. This is every mother's worst nightmare."
Attorney Jordan Dulcie, representing the Page family, emphasized that no parent should lose a child in this manner and pledged to hold the hospital fully accountable. The case highlights critical concerns about patient safety protocols and the oversight of vulnerable children with special needs in healthcare settings.
UF Health Shands Hospital, whose specialty programs are consistently ranked among the nation's best according to its website, has been contacted for comment regarding these serious allegations.
