Paramedic PapersHome Cardiac arrest Calcium in in-hospital arrest linked to worse outcomes
Cardiac arrest
Calcium in in-hospital arrest linked to worse outcomes
Impact of calcium administration on survival and neurologic outcomes in adults with in-hospital cardiac arrest
Resuscitation Plus · Added 9 August 2026
Retrospective cohort study of 599 in-hospital cardiac arrest patients testing whether calcium administration improves outcomes — calcium was associated with significantly lower rates of sustained ROSC, survival to discharge, and favourable neuro outcomes.
- Study type
- Cohort
- Design
- Retrospective cohort from a prospective single-centre registry
- Participants
- 599 adult in-hospital cardiac arrest events (234 received calcium)
- Main finding
- Calcium associated with lower sustained ROSC (31.6% vs 57.8%), survival to discharge (6.8% vs 18.9%) and favourable neurological outcome (3.0% vs 14.3%), independently on multivariable analysis
- Caveat
- Single US tertiary centre, retrospective; confounding by indication likely despite adjustment
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). In-hospital context limits direct prehospital applicability, but findings support current guideline recommendations against routine calcium use during undifferentiated cardiac arrest.
Learning goal
Weigh the risks and benefits of routine calcium administration during cardiac arrest resuscitation in my practice.
More
- Topic: Cardiac arrest
- Daily scan: 9 August 2026
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