Hypocalcemic tetany: rescue now, prevent recurrence
Educational use only. Not clinically reviewed46-year-old woman for Monitored calcium rescue, cause-directed continuing care, reassessment, and handoff. About 60 simulated minutes.
What you will practise
- Start qualified monitored calcium rescue for symptomatic hypocalcemia without an artificial treatment delay.
- Assess airway, seizure, and cardiac risk without assuming every postoperative airway problem is hypocalcemia.
- Address low magnesium and postoperative calcium regulation alongside continuing rescue.
- Use fresh observations to distinguish initial relief, recurrence, and incomplete stabilization.
- Hand off persistent electrolyte and cardiac risk with ongoing qualified care.
Review and sources
Not clinically reviewed. No clinician has signed this scenario.
- Turner J, Gittoes N, Selby P, Society for Endocrinology Clinical Committee. Emergency management of acute hypocalcaemia in adult patients. Endocrine Connections. 2016;5:G7-G8. doi:10.1530/EC-16-0056. Severe hypocalcemia, investigations, and underlying-cause treatment.
- Turner J, Gittoes N, Selby P. Emergency management of acute hypocalcaemia in adult patients: addendum. Endocrine Connections. 2019;8:X1. doi:10.1530/EC-16-0056a. Calcium-preparation equivalence and safety.
- Bollerslev J et al. Revised European Society of Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline: Treatment of Chronic Hypoparathyroidism in Adults. 2025;193:G83-G112. doi:10.1093/ejendo/lvaf222. Recommendations R.1.1, R.2.5, R.3.3 and R.3.8; acute emergency discussion in section 5.3.
- Iliff HA et al. Management of haematoma after thyroid surgery: multidisciplinary DAS, BAETS and ENT-UK consensus guidelines. Anaesthesia. 2022;77:82-95; published online 2021. doi:10.1111/anae.15585. Recognition and escalation of postoperative airway risk.
Open Sim Lab is an educational simulator, not for clinical use. It is not a clinical decision-support tool, not a dosing calculator, and is not validated for any decision affecting a real patient.