Florida Hospital Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Fatal Medication Error
A tragic case of alleged medical negligence has emerged from Florida, where a two-year-old boy died after receiving a medication dose ten times higher than prescribed at a reputable teaching hospital. The family of De'Markus Page has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against University of Florida Health Shands in Gainesville, claiming critical failures in his care led directly to his death.
The Initial Medical Crisis
In March 2024, De'Markus Page, described by his family as an active but picky eater, began showing concerning symptoms including persistent crying, diarrhea, and complete loss of appetite. His parents brought him to AdventHealth Ocala Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with rhinovirus/enterovirus infections and dangerously low potassium levels, a condition known as hypokalemia.
This electrolyte imbalance can cause severe complications including muscle weakness, fatigue, and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm disturbances. Given the seriousness of his condition, he was transferred to UF Health Shands for more advanced pediatric care.
The Alleged Medication Error
According to the legal complaint, upon arrival at UF Health Shands, De'Markus was admitted to a general pediatric floor rather than an intensive care unit, despite his unstable electrolyte levels requiring constant monitoring. The lawsuit contends this was the first in a series of critical failures.
His treatment plan included receiving 1.5 millimole (mmol) of potassium phosphate twice daily to restore his potassium to healthy levels. However, on his second day in the hospital, March 3, 2024, a doctor allegedly entered an incorrect medication order that deleted a decimal point, changing the dosage from 1.5 mmol to 15 mmol.
This ten-fold increase represented a potentially fatal dose even for an adult, let alone a two-year-old child. The lawsuit further alleges that the hospital's pharmacy system issued but then overrode a 'Red Flag' warning about the excessive dosage, allowing the error to proceed unchecked.
The Catastrophic Consequences
De'Markus received the erroneous 15 mmol dose twice that day, once in the afternoon and again in the evening. The massive potassium overdose flooded his system, disrupting the electrical signals that regulate heartbeat and triggering what medical professionals call hyperkalemic cardiac arrest.
Around 9 pm on March 3, his heart essentially stopped pumping effectively. The emergency response that followed was allegedly botched, with the lawsuit claiming it took medical staff more than 20 minutes and multiple failed attempts to successfully intubate him, leaving his brain critically deprived of oxygen.
Although he was resuscitated, the oxygen deprivation caused catastrophic and irreversible brain damage along with severe injury to other organs. After two weeks on life support with no neurological improvement, his parents made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw support. De'Markus Page was pronounced dead on March 18, 2024.
Family Seeks Answers and Accountability
The official cause of death cited in the lawsuit is hyperkalemic cardiac arrest and subsequent anoxic brain injury resulting from the medication error. De'Markus's mother, Dominique Page, told local media that she still hasn't received clear answers about what happened to her son.
'It's been extremely difficult since the passing of my son because to this day, I still have not known what happened,' she said. 'I was never told. When I asked, it was always a vague, "I do not know. I do not know." I still have nightmares about what happened.'
The family's legal complaint highlights that De'Markus's nutritional challenges as a picky eater made him particularly vulnerable to fluid and electrolyte imbalances when he contracted common childhood viruses. He had been suspected of having some level of autism but was never formally diagnosed.
Legal Proceedings and Hospital Response
The Page family is seeking damages exceeding $50,000 to cover medical bills, funeral expenses, lost earnings, and other losses. The lawsuit alleges multiple systemic failures including:
- Failure to admit De'Markus to intensive care despite his critical condition
- Failure to implement continuous vital sign monitoring
- Failure to catch and correct the medication dosage error
- Failure to properly respond to the cardiac arrest emergency
UF Health Shands has not responded to media requests for comment on this specific case, telling outlets that it does not comment on ongoing litigation. The teaching hospital has not yet filed a formal legal response to the complaint.
This case raises serious questions about medication safety protocols, pediatric care standards, and hospital oversight systems designed to prevent such catastrophic errors. The family's pursuit of legal action represents not only a search for financial compensation but also a demand for accountability and systemic change to prevent similar tragedies.
