Study: Early Vitamin C Could Lower Mortality in Sepsis Patients

Early intravenous vitamin C, combined with corticosteroids and thiamine, effectively prevent progression of organ dysfunction and reduce mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, according to the results of a recent study.

In order to examine outcomes and clinical course of sepsis patients treated with intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine, researchers conducted a retrospective before-after clinical study, comparing sepsis patients during a 7-month period with a control group treated during the preceding 7 months.
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There were 47 patients in both the treatment and control groups, and no significant baseline differences between the groups. Hospital mortality was 8.5% (4 of 47) in the treatment group and 40.4% (19 of 47) in the control group. Overall, all treatment group participants saw decreases in the Sepsis-Related Organ Failure Assessment score and were weaned off of vasopressors a mean of 18.3 ± 9.8 hours after starting treatment with the vitamin C, while the mean vasopressor use duration in the control group was 54.9 ± 28.4 hours.

“Our results suggest that the early use of intravenous vitamin C, together with corticosteroids and thiamine, are effective in preventing progressive organ dysfunction, including acute kidney injury, and in reducing the mortality of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Additional studies are required to confirm these preliminary findings.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Hydrocortisone, vitamin c, and thiamine for the treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock: a retrospective before-after study. Chest. 2017;151(6):1229-1238.