Nationwide — De’Markus Page, a 2-year-old African American boy from Ocala, Florida, died after a doctor allegedly removed a decimal point in his prescription, causing him to receive ten times the intended potassium dose and triggering cardiac arrest and severe brain damage.
The lawsuit says De’Markus first arrived at AdventHealth Ocala on March 1, 2024, with a virus and critically low potassium levels, as reported by the New York Post. Doctors stabilized him with IV fluids and transferred him the next morning to Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville for more advanced care.
Staff at Shands noted his low weight and ongoing electrolyte issues. They began electrolyte replacement therapy, but court filings say the treatment changed the next day when Dr. Jiabi Chen allegedly entered a new order that deleted a key decimal. The dose increased from 1.5 mmol to 15 mmol twice a day, even though De’Markus was already getting potassium through his IV and Pedialyte.
According to the lawsuit, the pharmacy system issued an alert about the high dose, but no one on the medical or pharmacy team corrected it. De’Markus received two doses at the higher level. Minutes after the final dose on March 3, he went into cardiac arrest consistent with potassium overdose.
The filing claims staff struggled to intubate him, losing critical time while his brain went without oxygen. Although his heartbeat eventually returned, doctors said the damage to his brain and organs was irreversible. He stayed on life support for two weeks, experiencing seizures and complications, before dying on March 18, 2024.
His mother, Dominique Page, is suing Shands and the University of Florida for wrongful death and related damages. The family’s attorney called the care “grossly negligent” and said the errors were preventable. The hospital declined to comment, citing privacy laws.