When patient experiences carpopedal spasms, what should a nurse suspect?

When a patient experiences carpopedal spasms, the nurse should suspect hypocalcemia. Carpopedal spasms, characterized by involuntary contractions of the muscles in the hands and feet, are commonly associated with low levels of calcium in the blood. This is due to calcium's role in neuromuscular excitability; when calcium levels are deficient, nerve and muscle function can become overly excitable, leading to symptoms such as spasms and tetany.

In patients with hypocalcemia, the decreased calcium levels disrupt normal cellular activity, which can result in increased muscle irritability. Other signs that may accompany carpopedal spasms due to hypocalcemia include numbness and tingling in the extremities or around the mouth, and more severe manifestations can occur if the condition persists.

The conditions associated with the other options do not typically lead to carpopedal spasms. For example, hypercalcemia usually results in muscle weakness rather than spasms, while hypomagnesemia can cause neuromuscular changes but are more commonly associated with other symptoms. Hyponatremia primarily affects fluid balance in the body and does not specifically lead to the muscle spasms characteristic of hypocalcemia. Therefore, when assessing a patient with carpop