@drchalktalkmd: Low calcium? Don’t forget to check the albumin. 🧪 A low serum albumin can make total calcium look falsely low, which is why we often use the Payne corrected calcium formula: Corrected Ca = measured Ca + 0.8 × (4 − albumin) 📌 Example: Measured Ca = 7.8 mg/dL Albumin = 2.0 g/dL Corrected Ca = 7.8 + 0.8 × (4 − 2.0) = 7.8 + 1.6 = 9.4 mg/dL So a calcium of 7.8 may actually correspond to a corrected calcium of 9.4 mg/dL when the albumin is 2.0. ⚠️ But don’t blindly trust the correction formula. When the true calcium status is clinically important or uncertain—such as in critical illness, CKD/dialysis, or symptomatic patients—measure ionized calcium directly rather than relying on a correction formula. 🧠 Intern pearl: Low total calcium + low albumin ≠ automatically hypocalcemia. Save this for your next BMP! #InternalMedicine #MedEd #epictips #InternTips #HospitalMedicine

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Friday 18 September 2026 19:22:41 GMT