March 2, 1999
Study tests vitamins in recovery from trauma
Can vitamin supplements help critically ill patients recover from their injuries? A collaborative study by Harborview surgeons and dietitians will evaluate the efficacy of anti-oxidant vitamin supplementation in intensive care unit (ICU) patients at Harborview.
Many critically ill trauma patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), an uncontrolled inflammatory response in the lung leading to prolonged ventilatory dependency, a longer ICU stay and higher mortality. Tissue injury induced by oxidants is thought to be the basic mechanism for the development of ARDS. Vitamins C and E have anti-oxidant properties and a variety of preliminary studies have demonstrated that they can limit tissue injury caused by oxidants, suggesting that supplementation with these vitamins may prevent the development of ARDS.
To evaluate whether there is any benefit to routine supplementation of anti-oxidant vitamins, all general surgical patients entering Harborviews ICUs as of Feb. 22 will be randomized to receive either standard amounts of vitamin C and E or supplementation with vitamin C with higher doses of these vitamins within 12 hours of admission. Among other exclusion criteria, patients with sickle cell anemia and those taking coumadin will be excluded from study enrollment.
The study is anticipated to last one year and will involve approximately 800 patients. As study entry will occur at the time of ICU admission, any patient may be withdrawn from the study at the request of their next of kin or their physician. Principle investigators are Dr. Ronald Maier, UW professor of surgery; Dr. Gregory Jurkovich, UW professor of surgery; and Dr. Avery B. Nathens, UW fellow in trauma and critical care. For further information on the clinical trial or individual patient enrollment, call Dr. Nathens at 731-5913.
