Gainesville, FL – A Florida family has filed a lawsuit claiming their 2-year-old son, De’Markus Page, died after medical staff at UF Health Shands administered ten times the intended dose of potassium phosphate due to a missing decimal point in the prescription.
The lawsuit, filed on November 6, accuses the hospital, along with several doctors, pharmacists and supervising staff, of failing to notice the fatal error despite warning alerts issued by the facility’s own pharmacy system.
How the Child’s Medical Emergency Began
According to the lawsuit, De’Markus was first taken to another medical facility on March 1, 2024, after persistent crying, diarrhea and decreased appetite. He was diagnosed with rhinovirus and enterovirus, common causes of respiratory illness, but doctors also found low potassium levels, prompting IV treatment and concerns that he required a higher level of care.
Upon transfer to UF Health Shands, medical teams determined that his potassium levels were “dangerously low” and continued treatment to stabilize him.
The Fatal Decimal Error
The lawsuit states that during the treatment process, a doctor mistakenly entered a potassium phosphate dose of 15 mmol instead of 1.5 mmol, an error caused by omitting a decimal point. This meant De’Markus received ten times the correct dosage…