A patient's total serum calcium is 8.0 mg/dL with albumin 3.5 g/dL. What is the corrected calcium (add 0.8 mg/dL per 1 g/dL that albumin is below 4 g/dL)?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: C. 8.40 mg/dL

  1. Step 1: Albumin is below 4 g/dL by 0.5 g/dL.
  2. Step 2: Corrected calcium = 8.0 + 0.8 x 0.5 = 8.40 mg/dL.
Answer
8.40 mg/dL.
Why not the others: '8.00 mg/dL' reports the uncorrected value; '7.60 mg/dL' subtracts the correction instead of adding it; '10.80 mg/dL' multiplies by the albumin value instead of the deficit.

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