Effects of a High Dose of Vitamin C along with Thiamine in Critically-ill Patients with Septic Shock: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Septic shock may occur in critically ill patients and despite antimicrobial treatment, it is associated with a high mortality rate. It is reasonable to look for new treatment modalities that might improve outcome. This is a randomized, double-blind control trial aiming at critically-ill septic patients in a tertiary hospital. Patients with quick sofa score of 2 and with organ dysfunction were included in this study. The intervention group received high doses of vitamin C at a dose of 50 mg/kg/four times daily along with thiamine at a dose of 200 mg/ twice daily) and the control group received normal saline for four days. The dose of vasopressors, procalcitonin and lactate clearance, and mean sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were examined in the two groups. Patients were followed for 28 days. One hundred patients were allocated into two equal groups, and there was no difference between the two groups regarding baseline characteristics. Mean lactate concentration, SOFA score, days of antimicrobial therapy, and mortality at 28 days were similar between them. However, the mean procalcitonin concentration, and mean vasopressor treatment hours were significantly lower in the intervention group (p<0.05). Although Days of ICU stay were lower in the intervention group, It did not reach statistical significance. The results of this study showed that treatment with high dose vitamin C Reduces the vasopressor requirement without any effects on other parameters. Further studies with larger sample size are required for more generalizable results.