A Florida mother is suing the University of Florida Health system after her 2-year-old son died from what she alleges was a devastating medical error — one that turned a lifesaving treatment into a fatal overdose.
According to the New York Post, a lawsuit filed in Alachua County Circuit Court states that little De’Markus Page died on March 18, 2024, after being given 10 times the prescribed dose of potassium at UF Health Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville.
His mother, Dominique Page, accuses hospital staff and doctors of “gross negligence” that left her son suffering a horrific two-week decline before he was taken off life support.
The lawsuit claims that on March 1, 2024, De’Markus was admitted to AdventHealth Ocala Hospital with a virus and dangerously low potassium levels.
The toddler — who reportedly had a suspected autism diagnosis and was a picky eater — was transferred to Shands the next day for specialized care after weighing in at just 21 pounds, the 30th percentile for his age group.
Doctors at Shands began electrolyte replacement therapy. But on March 3, pediatrician Dr. Jiabi Chen allegedly made a deadly mistake.
According to court filings, Chen deleted a critical decimal point in the dosage order — increasing it from 1.5 millimoles to 15 millimoles of potassium, twice daily.
The hospital’s pharmacy system reportedly issued a “red flag warning” over the dangerously high dosage, but the alert was ignored.
The boy received two full doses before going into hyperkalemic cardiac arrest at 9:02 p.m. that night, the suit claims.
Hospital staff then allegedly took 20 minutes and made “2 to 3 botched attempts” to intubate the child, leaving him without oxygen long enough to cause irreversible brain damage. “The anoxic damage already done to his brain and other vital organs was catastrophic,” the filing states.
De’Markus was kept on a ventilator for two weeks, suffering seizures and other complications, before doctors removed life support.
His mother is suing UF Health and its Shands Teaching Hospital for at least $50,000 in damages for wrongful death and emotional suffering.
Family attorney Jordan Dulcie called the alleged error “grossly negligent,” saying, “No parent should have to lose a child like this. What the family has endured is unimaginable — and the worst part is that it was entirely preventable.”
UF Health declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing privacy laws, but said it “follows all state and federal HIPAA regulations.” Dr. Chen has not responded to requests for comment.
