Document And Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	40-F
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	CRME
Entity Registrant Name	Cardiome Pharma Corp
Entity Central Index Key	0001036141
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	14,958,277
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer