Serum Calcium Dynamics and Hydrocephalus Risk in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

A clinical study of 302 spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients monitored for 90 days, where 24.2% developed delayed hydrocephalus. It analyzes serial serum calcium measurements at admission, 72 hours, and 7 days post-ictus to predict hydrocephalus risk, with a 72-hour calcium cutoff of ≤7.65 mg/dL achieving an AUC of 0.854. The research developed and validated an admission-based nomogram incorporating variables like hypertension and Hunt-Hess grade for early risk stratification.

Use Cases

• Predict delayed hydrocephalus using serial serum calcium measurements at admission, 72 hours, and 7 days post-ictus.
• Validate the predictive performance of the 72-hour serum calcium cutoff (≤7.65 mg/dL) against conventional severity scales.
• Apply the admission-based nomogram for early risk stratification using variables like admission serum calcium, hypertension, and Hunt-Hess grade.
• Analyze the association between patient factors like smoking history, dyslipidemia, alcohol use, and diabetes with hydrocephalus outcomes.

Strengths

• Study includes 302 patient records with a clear outcome measure (24.2% delayed hydrocephalus incidence).
• Predictive model for 72-hour serum calcium achieved a high AUC of 0.854 with defined sensitivity (85.6%) and specificity (80.3%).
• Nomogram was externally validated across two hospitals, demonstrating an AUC of 0.898.
• Data tracks serial measurements over a defined 90-day monitoring period.

Limitations

• Dataset scope is limited to a 12.2 KB document containing study results, not the underlying patient-level data.
• Sample size of 302 patients may limit generalizability of the predictive model.
• The proposed serum calcium cutoff may vary across different laboratory assays, requiring local calibration.

Provenance

Source

Di Wu via figshare.

Collection Method

Observational cohort study analyzing serial serum calcium measurements in SAH patients.

Time Range

Patient monitoring period of 90 days post-ictus.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Cohort from two hospitals (locations unspecified).