Electrolytes and acid–base

Albumin-adjusted calcium (conventional)

Show the conventional albumin correction while making its limitations explicit.

Intended population: Conventional total-calcium estimate; not a measurement of ionized calcium.

Frequently unreliable, especially with hypoalbuminemia, critical illness or kidney failure. Adjustment can misclassify true calcium status; use measured ionized calcium when clinically needed. Do not use this estimate alone to diagnose or treat a calcium disorder.

Measured total calcium (mg/dL)

Serum albumin (g/dL)

Sources and scoring references

BMJ: Correcting the calcium (1977) ↗Desgagnés et al.: adjusted calcium misclassification (JAMA, 2025) ↗

Implementation references reviewed October 28, 2026. Verify applicability and unusual or treatment-changing results against the linked references and local guidance.