The Effect of Standardized Order Set for Intravenous Calcium Treatment on the Length of Hospital Stay in Secondary Hyperparathyroidism following Parathyroidectomy. Retrospective Pre-Post Study

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess if administering a post-operative standardized order set for intravenous calcium treatment for dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism who have undergone a parathyroidectomy will reduce the length of the hospital stay. Methods: The medical records of dialysis patients who underwent subtotal PTX for symptomatic secondary hyperparathyroidism were reviewed prior to and after the introduction of a standard postoperative order set. The genders, duration of hospital stay as well as readmission rates of all patients were analyzed. Results: The study population included 50 patients, with a mean age of 49 years. 25 patients were administered the standardized order set of intravenous calcium treatment following a subtotal parathyroidectomy. There was no statistical difference (p=0.7063) between the length of hospital stay in the group of the patients that received the post- operative standardized order set of intravenous calcium and the group that did not. Only 1 patient was readmitted during the study period. Conclusion: There was no statistical difference in the length of hospital stay between the dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism who received the standardized order set of intravenous calcium and the patients who did not following a PTX.