Phosphate-induced hypocalcemia may have a role to play in a patient of recurrent cardiac arrest with severe hypophosphatemia

Abstract

Hypophosphatemia is a common electrolyte abnormality in our day-to-day practice in Intensive Care Unit. Severe hypophosphatemia is usually multifactorial and can lead to devastating consequences such as cardiac arrest. Phosphate replacement can be considered in severe symptomatic hypophosphatemia. We describe a patient of chronic alcoholic and diabetic who presented with diabetic ketoacidosis, right-lung pneumonia, and septic shock. Subsequently, the patient developed recurrent cardiac arrest. Both hypophosphatemia and phosphate-induced hypocalcemia were attributed to be the cause of this recurrent cardiac arrest.