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Toddler Dies After Hospital's Tenfold Medication Overdose
13 Nov
Summary
- 2-year-old with special needs died from 10x overdose of medicine
- Lawsuit claims hospital responsible for wrongful death and negligence
- Decimal point error led to excessive potassium dosage
In a heartbreaking incident, a 2-year-old boy with special needs, De'Markus Jeremiah Page, passed away in March 2024 after receiving a tenfold overdose of medication at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. According to the lawsuit filed by the boy's mother, Dominique Page, the hospital was responsible for the wrongful death and medical negligence that led to her son's tragic demise.
The child was initially admitted to AdventHealth Ocala Hospital on March 1, 2024, for persistent vomiting, diarrhea, and decreased oral intake. Doctors found that he had critically low potassium levels, prompting a transfer to Shands for immediate IV therapy. However, a devastating mistake occurred during his care at Shands.
The lawsuit claims that a misplaced decimal point was entered in the medication order, leading to De'Markus receiving 10 times the proper amount of oral potassium phosphate. This exceedingly high dosage, combined with other routes of unmonitored potassium administration, caused the child's potassium levels to spike to fatal levels, leading to cardiac arrest.
