When we take our children to a hospital, we expect them to receive expert care. As parents, it’s heartbreaking to see our children suffer, but we entrust medical professionals to know what’s best. A children’s teaching hospital in Florida reportedly broke that trust for one family, who now grieves the loss of their child. De’Markus Page died in 2024 while a patient at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. During his stay, staff allegedly made a horrific mistake. Now his family wants the hospital to pay.
De’Markus was a spirited 2-year-old boy treated for a virus at AdventHealth Ocala before a transfer to Shands Children’s in early 2024, according to court documents obtained by Law & Crime. De’Markus had limited communication skills, and the family suspected “some level of autism.” He was a picky eater who remained underweight for his age.
“His nutritional challenges made De’Markus far more vulnerable to incurring fluid and electrolyte deficits should he contract the normal viruses and illnesses of early childhood that impact a child’s oral intake,” the family says, per the outlet
During his stay, staff put in an order for “1.5 mmol” of “oral potassium phosphate” twice per day, according to the complaint. But on the second day, a doctor allegedly made a horrific error, directing staff to administer 10 times the previous day’s dosage of oral potassium phosphate, the family’s lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit claims the doctor “errantly placed the new 11:01 a.m. order for oral potassium phosphate to be administered at 10 times the previous dosage, deleting a critical decimal point in the prior day’s dosage of 1.5 mmol — now ordering the liquid supplement to be given at 15 mmol twice a day.”
“This exceedingly high level of potassium would be administered to De’Markus with no rationale, and in addition to two other routes of potassium administration he was already receiving in the way of intravenous KCL and Pedialyte — and to an underweight 2-year-old who had a normal morning potassium level,” it adds.
To make matters worse, the family alleges no one on staff noticed the error, and the toddler suffered cardiac arrest as a result. By the time the staff realized what had happened, it was too late to save the child, Law & Crime reported.
“Unfortunately, having sustained the massive anoxic damage, De’Markus went on to endure a horrific and protracted hospital course over the next two weeks as a neurologically obtunded, ventilator-dependent patient in the pediatric intensive care unit,” court documents state.
“No parent should have to lose a child like this,” attorney Jordan Dulcie, of Searcy Law, told Law & Crime. De’Markus died in his mother’s arms.
“What this family has endured is unimaginable and the worst part is that it was entirely preventable,” Dulcie shared. “I’m committed to holding the University of Florida Shands Children’s Hospital fully accountable and presenting this case to a jury to avoid this tremendous grief from happening to another family.”
This is both heartbreaking and terrifying. De’Markus’ family had no reason not to trust the staff, but somehow he died under their care. We can’t imagine how they must feel. No amount of money will bring De’Markus back, but he deserves justice.
