A patient undergoing an apheresis procedure may develop signs of hypocalcemia related to the infusion of calcium citrate used as an anticoagulant.
Monitoring frequency: assessments every 15 minutes
Symptoms include:
(1) paresthesias
(2) muscle cramping
(3) nausea
(4) coldness
(5) headache
(6) lightheadedness
(7) chest tightness
Symptom Severity
Grade
none
0
barely noticeable
1
irritating
2
uncomfortable
3
unbearable
4
Symptom Grade
Management Intervention
whole blood processing decreased by 16-20%; consider therapeutic calcium infusion (Bolan et al, 2002)
procedure interrupted
procedure terminated
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Specialty: Clinical Laboratory, Hematology Oncology, Immunology/Rheumatology
