Toddler Dies After Hospital's Tenfold Medication Overdose

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.

Despite the family's claims that De'Markus should have survived, the hospital's alleged delay in intubation and inadequate training resulted in prolonged oxygen deprivation, causing a catastrophic brain injury. The little boy was ultimately declared brain dead and passed away in his mother's arms on March 3, 2024.

Dominique Page expressed her heartbreak, stating, "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." The family's attorney, Jordan Dulcie, vowed to hold the hospital fully accountable for this devastating loss.