Need for Additional Trials of Vitamin C for Sepsis

To the Editor Since a single-center, 94-patient, uncontrolled observational study of the combination therapy of vitamin C, thiamine, and hydrocortisone reported a 32% absolute mortality reduction in patients with sepsis in 2017, several investigators have tested vitamin C and combination therapy in clinical trials. The recently published Vitamin C, Hydrocortisone and Thiamine in Patients With Septic Shock (VITAMINS) trial reported no difference in the primary outcome of time alive and free of vasopressors. We agree that the results of the VITAMINS trial should temper enthusiasm for the use of vitamin C therapy outside of clinical trials, which some had adopted after the 2017 report.
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research