Hypocalcemia in the Immediate Postoperative Period Following Metabolic Bariatric Surgery – Hype or Harm?

Hypocalcemia post-metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is a known long-term complication after hypoabsorptive procedures. However, data on immediate postoperative calcium are limited. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of hypocalcemia on the 1st postoperative day after MBS and correlate it with potential associated factors. We analyzed data from all consecutive index MBS over 1 year. We collected data on demographics and on preoperative and postoperative values of serum calcium (TC), albumin, adjusted calcium (AC–Payne formula), magnesium, phosphorus, preoperative vitamin-D, and postoperative 24-h urine output, intravenous fluids (IVF), bolus intravenous furosemide, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK). Continuous data are expressed as means ± SD (range). Categorical data are presented as frequencies (