An IV form of calcium given by a healthcare provider to treat a sudden, symptomatic drop in blood calcium. It is diluted and given slowly through a secure IV line, because a fast injection can slow the heart and a leak from the vein can damage the skin.
Calcium gluconate splits apart in the blood into calcium and gluconate, and both are normally found in body fluids. The freed calcium raises the level of ionized calcium, the active form the body can use. Almost all of the body's calcium is stored in the bones, and only about 1% sits in the blood and soft tissues. In the blood, about half of the calcium is in the active form, and most of the rest is attached to proteins, mainly albumin.
Given into a vein, the whole dose reaches the bloodstream, and the liver does not have to process it first. The extra calcium then leaves the body in the urine. Pushing it in too fast can widen blood vessels and cause low blood pressure, a slow or irregular heartbeat, fainting, or even cardiac arrest. The solution is rich in calcium, so it can leave hard calcium deposits in the skin or damage the tissue around the IV site, especially if it leaks out of the vein.
Calcium gluconate injection treats acute symptomatic hypocalcemia, which means the calcium level in the blood has dropped suddenly and is causing symptoms. Calcium is a mineral the body needs for many of its functions. The injection is meant to bring the calcium level back up and relieve the effects of the shortage.
It is used for adults and for children, including newborns. It comes in a single-dose vial, is mixed with other IV fluid, and is given into a vein by a healthcare provider, either as a slow injection or as a steady drip. Its safety for long-term use has not been established. It is not given to people whose calcium is already high, or to newborns who are receiving the antibiotic ceftriaxone.
The most common problems happen at the IV site: inflamed or hardened skin, calcium deposits under the skin, and tissue damage, mostly when the fluid leaks out of the vein. People may also feel tingling, warmth or flushing, or dizziness, or notice a change in taste. The label treats low blood pressure, a slow or irregular heartbeat, fainting, and cardiac arrest from giving it too fast as serious, along with dangerous heart rhythms in people taking digoxin and fatal crystal deposits in newborns who also get ceftriaxone.