N Engl J Med 2022 06 15;386(25):2387-2398. Epub 2022 Jun 15.
From the Departments of Medicine (F. Lamontagne, M.-C.B., H.Q.M.) and Anesthesiology (F.D.), Université de Sherbrooke, the Department of Pharmacy (B.B.), Centre de Recherche du CHU de Sherbrooke, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de l'Estrie-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (F. Lamontagne, M.-H.M., J.M., F.D., E. Carbonneau), and Bishop's University (D.C.), Sherbrooke, QC, the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery (S.S.), the Department of Medicine (D.J.C., G.H.G., B.R., T.M., M.O.M., E.P.B.-C., S.S.K.), the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (D.J.C., G.H.G., B.R., M.O.M., L.H., E.P.B.-C., F.C.), and the Population Health Research Institute (E.P.B.-C.), McMaster University, the Department of Critical Care, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (D.J.C.), the Intensive Care Unit, Juravinski Hospital (T.M.), and Respiratory Therapy, Hamilton Health Sciences (L.H.), Hamilton, ON, the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (R. Pinto, N.M., N.K.J.A.), the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto (S.M., N.K.J.A.), and Sinai Health System (S.M.), Toronto, the Departments of Critical Care Medicine (D.K.H., D.M.M., M.H.), Public Health Sciences (A.G.D.), and Medicine (D.M.M.), Queen's University, and Kingston Health Sciences Centre (A.G.D., D.M.M.), Kingston, ON, the Department of Pharmacy, Ottawa Hospital (S.K.), Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (S.K., I.W., R. Porteous), and the Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa (A.J.E.S.), Ottawa, ON, the Massawippi Valley Foundation, Ayer's Cliff, QC (D.C.), the Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal (M.C.), the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (M.C., M.L., E. Charbonney), the Centre de Recherche de l'Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal (E. Charbonney), and the Departments of Medicine and Critical Care, McGill University Health Centre (J.S.), Montreal, QC, the Department of Medicine (F. Lauzier) and the Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care (F. Lauzier, A.F.T.), Université Laval, the Critical Care Medicine Service (F. Lauzier, A.F.T.), and the Research Center (F. Lauzier, A.F.T.), CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec, QC, the Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton (O.G.R., D.J.K.), the Division of Intensive Care, Department of Medicine, CHU Dr. Georges L. Dumont, Moncton, NB (R.L.), the Department of Surgery, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON (T.S.M.), the Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Island Health Authority, Victoria, BC (G.W.), and the Department of Medicine, Halton Healthcare, Oakville, ON (S.S.K.) - all in Canada; the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit, Auckland City Hospital (R. Parke, S.P.M.), and the School of Nursing, University of Auckland (R. Parke), Auckland, the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Newtown (R. Parke, S.P.M., P.J.Y.), the Intensive Care Unit, Wellington Hospital, Wellington (P.J.Y.), and the Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin (P.T.) - all in New Zealand; the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi - both in India (B.K.T.V.); the Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Raymond-Poincaré Hospital (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris [AP-HP]), and Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire SEPSIS, Garches (D.A.), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, University Paris-Saclay Campus UVSQ, Versailles (D.A.), and Service de Médecine Intensive Réanimation, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Henri-Mondor, Groupe de Recherche Clinique CARMAS, and Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Université Paris Est Créteil, Créteil (A.M.-D.) - all in France; the College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, and the Department of Intensive Care, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs - all in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Y.M.A.); and the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia (R. Parke, S.P.M., P.J.Y.).
Background: Studies that have evaluated the use of intravenous vitamin C in adults with sepsis who were receiving vasopressor therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) have shown mixed results with respect to the risk of death and organ dysfunction.
Methods: In this randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned adults who had been in the ICU for no longer than 24 hours, who had proven or suspected infection as the main diagnosis, and who were receiving a vasopressor to receive an infusion of either vitamin C (at a dose of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight) or matched placebo administered every 6 hours for up to 96 hours. The primary outcome was a composite of death or persistent organ dysfunction (defined by the use of vasopressors, invasive mechanical ventilation, or new renal-replacement therapy) on day 28. Read More