Low Dose Vitamin C in Burns >20% Compared to Previous Studies With High Dose Vitamin C

High Dose Intravenous Versus Low Dose Oral Vitamin C in Burn Care: Potential Protective Effects in the Severely Burned: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Burn injury is marked by a large release of inflammatory mediators which disrupt the normal capillary barrier and cause a rapid shift of intravascular fluid into interstitial spaces, ultimately leading to shock and death. As such, adequate fluid management and resuscitation is critical for burn patients to prevent further cellular injury. Technologies and medical options such as cardiac output monitoring along with early tube feeding and vitamin C administration have developed slowly over the years. Effective management of the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome response and metabolic derangement is crucial for the survival of burn patients. In particular, vitamin C administration has shown to significantly decreases early post-burn lipid peroxidation, reduce microvascular leak of fluid by preventing endothelial dysfunction, and decreases edema formation in burned tissue. Vitamin C is a cheap and widely available antioxidant which has been shown to significantly effective in positively impacting clinical outcomes in burn resuscitation. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin C in burns greater than 20% total body surface area on clinical outcomes such as length of hospital stay, total fluid requirements, and mortality.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burns; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Fluid and Electrolyte Imbalance; Burn Degree Second; Burn Degree Third; Burn Shock
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Vitamin C

Detailed Description

Burn injury is marked by a large release of inflammatory mediators which disrupt the normal capillary barrier and cause a rapid shift of intravascular fluid into interstitial spaces, ultimately leading to shock and death. As such, adequate fluid management and resuscitation is critical for burn patients to prevent further cellular injury. Technologies and medical options such as cardiac output monitoring along with early tube feeding and vitamin C administration have developed slowly over the years. Effective management of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome response and metabolic derangement is crucial for the survival of burn patients. In particular, vitamin C administration has shown to significantly decreases early post-burn lipid peroxidation, reduce microvascular leak of fluid by preventing endothelial dysfunction, and decreases edema formation in burned tissue.

Vitamin C is a cheap and widely available antioxidant which has been shown to significantly effective in positively impacting clinical outcomes in burn resuscitation. While vitamin C is a regular part of burn resuscitation, there is no consensus on the most effective dose when considering impacting mortality, fluid resuscitation requirement, and other various clinical outcomes. Defining clinically efficacious minimal dosage of vitamin C can assist surgeons to better guide care for patients requiring burn resuscitation.

In this study, we aim to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin C in burns greater than 20% total body surface area on various clinical outcomes through a retrospective chart review of burn patients. Through this retrospective chart review, we aim to arrive at a better-defined vitamin C dose to achieve positive clinically significant outcomes.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 54

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Colton, California, United States, 92324
      • Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

To evaluate PO vitamin C in burns of greater than 20% total body surface area compared to previous published studies utilizing high dose vitamin C in patients older than 18 years of age.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

All patients presenting to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Emergency Department with International Classification of Diseases-10 codes of :

i. T31.2 Burns involving 20-29% of body surface ii. T31.3 Burns involving 30-39% of body surface iii. T31.4 Burns involving 40-49% of body surface iv. T31.5 Burns involving 50-59% of body surface v. T31.6 Burns involving 60-69% of body surface vi. T31.7 Burns involving 70-79% of body surface vii. T31.8 Burns involving 80-89% of body surface viii. T31.9 Burns involving 90% or more of body surface ix. T30.2 Burn of second degree, body region unspecified x. T30.3 Burn of third degree, body region unspecified

Exclusion Criteria:

• Total Body Surface Area Burns under 20%.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Retrospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
PO Vitamin C; Patients who got PO vitamin C	Dietary supplement: Vitamin C; Due to clinical research supporting high dose vitamin C, the institution's surgical intensivists started utilizing a high IV vitamin C dose in higher total body surface area burns while continuing to use the standard PO vitamin C dose of 500 mg to 1,000 mg daily on patients with lower total body surface area burns. Looking at the initial 72 hours, patients with smaller burns were given 2,500 mg PO vitamin C and larger total body surface area burns were given 15,000 mg IV vitamin C.
IV Vitamin C; Patients who got IV vitamin C	Dietary supplement: Vitamin C; Due to clinical research supporting high dose vitamin C, the institution's surgical intensivists started utilizing a high IV vitamin C dose in higher total body surface area burns while continuing to use the standard PO vitamin C dose of 500 mg to 1,000 mg daily on patients with lower total body surface area burns. Looking at the initial 72 hours, patients with smaller burns were given 2,500 mg PO vitamin C and larger total body surface area burns were given 15,000 mg IV vitamin C.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mortality	Survival within the first 28 days	28 hours
Infection rate	The time frame of any clinically documented infections and when they occurred	180 days
Ventilator days	The total duration of time a patient spends intubated on a ventilator while in the hospital. The initial intubation will be the only intubation considered	180 days
Fluid Requirement	Total fluid requirements in first 72 hours	72 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
• Investigators: Study Chair: Aldin Malkoc, MD, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center; Principal Investigator: David T Wong, MD, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Kessler RC, Sonnega A, Bromet E, Hughes M, Nelson CB. Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1995 Dec;52(12):1048-60. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.1995.03950240066012.
• Tanaka H, Matsuda H, Shimazaki S, Hanumadass M, Matsuda T. Reduced resuscitation fluid volume for second-degree burns with delayed initiation of ascorbic acid therapy. Arch Surg. 1997 Feb;132(2):158-61. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1997.01430260056011.
• Rock CL, Dechert RE, Khilnani R, Parker RS, Rodriguez JL. Carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins in patients after burn injury. J Burn Care Rehabil. 1997 May-Jun;18(3):269-78; discussion 268. doi: 10.1097/00004630-199705000-00018.
• May JM. How does ascorbic acid prevent endothelial dysfunction? Free Radic Biol Med. 2000 May 1;28(9):1421-9. doi: 10.1016/s0891-5849(00)00269-0.
• Barbosa E, Faintuch J, Machado Moreira EA, Goncalves da Silva VR, Lopes Pereima MJ, Martins Fagundes RL, Filho DW. Supplementation of vitamin E, vitamin C, and zinc attenuates oxidative stress in burned children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. J Burn Care Res. 2009 Sep-Oct;30(5):859-66. doi: 10.1097/BCR.0b013e3181b487a8.
• Wang Y, Lin H, Lin BW, Lin JD. Effects of different ascorbic acid doses on the mortality of critically ill patients: a meta-analysis. Ann Intensive Care. 2019 May 20;9(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s13613-019-0532-9.
• Matsuda T, Tanaka H, Yuasa H, Forrest R, Matsuda H, Hanumadass M, Reyes H. The effects of high-dose vitamin C therapy on postburn lipid peroxidation. J Burn Care Rehabil. 1993 Nov-Dec;14(6):624-9. doi: 10.1097/00004630-199311000-00007.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 12, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 8, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): January 8, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 26, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 9, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): November 10, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 10, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 9, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Nutrition Disorders; Avitaminosis; Deficiency Diseases; Malnutrition; Burns; Ascorbic Acid Deficiency; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Protective Agents; Micronutrients; Vitamins; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20-49 (OTHER: Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No