A clinical pathway for the postoperative management of hypocalcemia after pediatric thyroidectomy reduces blood draws

Postoperative calcium management is challenging following pediatric thyroidectomy given potential limitations in self-reporting symptoms and compliance with phlebotomy. A protocol was created at our tertiary children's institution utilizing intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels to guide electrolyte management during hospitalization.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a new thyroidectomy postoperative management protocol on two primary outcomes: (1) the number of postoperative calcium blood draws and (2) the length of hospital stay.

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