Ionized Calcium as a Severity Marker in Septic Shock Patients

September 4, 2026 updated by: Mina Saad Seddik Danial, Assiut University

Evaluation of the Prognostic Value of Changes in Ionized Calcium as a Severity Marker in Septic Shock Patients in the Intensive Care Unit

Sepsis is a serious condition where the body has an extreme, dysregulated response to an infection, often leading to life-threatening organ dysfunction. Low levels of ionized calcium (the active, free form of calcium in the blood) are common in critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). While established clinical scoring systems like the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) help assess illness severity, there is a continuous need for rapid, cost-effective biological markers that can be measured immediately at the bedside using routine blood gas analyzers.

The primary purpose of this observational study is to evaluate whether ionized calcium levels measured upon admission to the ICU can serve as an early marker of disease severity and outcome in adult patients diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock.

Adult participants diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock who are admitted to the ICU will receive standard medical care. Routine arterial or venous blood samples will be analyzed at admission to measure ionized calcium and other standard laboratory markers. Researchers will correlate these calcium levels with baseline illness severity scores (SOFA and APACHE II) and evaluate patient outcomes, including 28-day mortality, length of ICU stay, and the need for mechanical ventilation or vasopressor medications.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

160

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult critically ill patients (aged 18 years or older) admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) at Assiut University Hospitals who are diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock according to the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) criteria within 24 hours of hospital presentation.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients aged 18 years or older
  • Diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock according to the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3)
  • Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) within 24 hours of presentation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known pre-existing disorders of calcium or parathyroid metabolism (e.g., chronic hypoparathyroidism, hyperparathyroidism)
  • Severe chronic kidney disease (CKD stage 4 or 5) or end-stage renal disease on dialysis
  • Patients receiving active intravenous calcium, bisphosphonates, or vitamin D supplementation within 48 hours prior to admission
  • Massive blood transfusion (more than 4 units of packed red blood cells) within 6 hours of admission (due to citrate-induced hypocalcemia)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Sepsis and Septic Shock Cohort
Adult patients (aged 18 years or older) diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock according to the Sepsis-3 definitions and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) within 24 hours of presentation. Patients receive standard, evidence-based supportive care. Ionized calcium levels along with arterial blood gases, organ failure scores (SOFA and APACHE II), and baseline laboratory parameters are assessed upon admission and monitored at 24 and 48 hours to evaluate prognostic outcomes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Correlation Between Admission Ionized Calcium Levels and SOFA Score
Time Frame: Baseline
Correlation between baseline ionized calcium levels and disease severity assessed by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Scores range from 0 to 24, where higher scores indicate greater organ failure.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Assiut University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 4, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Ionized Calcium in Sepsis ICU

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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