Postoperative hypocalcemia - The difference a definition makes Journal Article
| Authors: | Mehanna, H. M.; Jain, A.; Randeva, H.; Watkinson, J.; Shaha, A. |
| Article Title: | Postoperative hypocalcemia - The difference a definition makes |
| Abstract: | Background. Review of the literature reveals considerable variability in the definitions and criteria used for reporting postoperative hypocalcemia. The lack of standardization prevents a meaningful comparison of results and performance locally with the national standard. It also prevents the pooling of data when performing meta-analysis, and may affect the comparison of research results. Methods. A literature review was performed to identify the different definitions used to define hypocalcemia in post-thyroidectomy patients. We analyzed the incidence of hypocalcemia in the same cohort of 202 post thyroidectomy patients using these definitions. Results. The reported hypocalcemia rates varied from 0% to 46% for the same cohort depending on the definition of hypocalcemia used. Only one-third of biochemically hypocalcemic patients requested calcium supplementation. Conclusion. This study demonstrates the need for more uniformity and standardization in the definitions used for reporting hypocalcemia rates. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
| Keywords: | adolescent; adult; aged; aged, 80 and over; middle aged; retrospective studies; young adult; major clinical study; cohort studies; incidence; cohort analysis; calcium; diet supplementation; postoperative complication; standardization; practice guidelines as topic; thyroidectomy; thyroid diseases; hypocalcemia; hypoparathyroidism; definitions; postop complication |
| Journal Title: | Head & Neck |
| Volume: | 32 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| ISSN: | 1043-3074 |
| Publisher: | John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
| Date Published: | 2010-03-01 |
| Start Page: | 279 |
| End Page: | 283 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1002/hed.21175 |
| PUBMED: | 19691027 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 2" - "Export Date: 20 April 2011" - "CODEN: HEANE" - "Source: Scopus" |
