Table 1 The main characteristics of the studies included
Author | Year | Design | Patients(n intervention/n control) | Ascorbic acid dose | Other antioxidant | Time of treatment initiation | Duration of treatment | Mortality at final follow-up (N intervention/N control) | Other clinical parameters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ferrón-Celma | 2009 | RCT | Undergoing abdominal surgery and postoperative mortality risk > 30% (10/10) | 450 mg/d | None | 12 h post-surgery | From 12 h post-surgery to d6 post-surgery | 6 days: 6/4 | Caspase-3↓, PARP proteins↓ and Bcl-2 levels ↑in treatment group |
Fowler III | 2014 | RCT | Severe sepsis (16: high dose 8 and low dose 8)/8 | 50 or 200 mg/kg/d | None | 2–4 h following randomization | 96 h | 28 days: 7(low dose: 3, high dose 4)/5 | SOFA scores↓(high dose was the most remarkable); CRP ↓in treatment group; PCT↓ only in the high-dose group; The TM↑ in control group, while treatment group remained the same. |
Zabet | 2016 | RCT | Post-operation patients with septic shock and need a vasopressor (14/14) | 25 mg/kg q6 h | None | Unavailable | 72 h | 28 days: 2/9 | Less vasopressor |
Kahn | 2011 | Observational | Burn covering greater than 20% of TBSA (17/16) | 66 mg/kg/hr | None | At a mean time of 52 ± 26 min after admission | Unavailable | Hospital mortality: 4/3 | Mean PaO2/FiO2 during the study period: ascorbic acid group: 201.32 ± 32.22; control group: 221.23 ± 13.87 |
Tanaka | 2000 | Quasi-RCT | Burn covering greater than 30% of TBSA (19/18) | 66 mg/kg/h | None | After admission | The initial 24-h | Hospital mortality: 9/7 | Edema ↓ body weight gain ↓ in treatment group |
Lin | 2018 | Observational | During burn shock resuscitation (38/42) | 66 mg/kg/h | None | Mean time: 4.01 ± 15 h | Unavailable | Hospital mortality: 10/10 | Acute renal failure↑ in high-dose group |
Marik | 2017 | Observational | Severe sepsis or septic shock and a PCT level ≥ 2 ng/ml (47/47) | 1.5 g q6 h | None | Unavailable | 4 days | Hospital mortality: 4/19 | The median 72-h PCT ↓,the 72-h ⊿SOFA score ↓in treatment group |
Razmkon | 2011 | RCT | GCS ≤ 8 with diffuse axonal injury(49/27) | 500 mg/d or 10 g/d | None | Within 24 h | 7 days | Hospital mortality: 14 (low dose: 7, high dose: 7)/8 | No promise for short- and long-term neurological outcome in treatment group |
Sandesc | 2017 | Observational | Injury severity score > 16(35/32) | 3000 mg/d | N-Acetylcysteine 1200 mg/d | Unavailable | Unavailable | Hospital mortality: 5/11 | Possibility to develop into Sepsis or MODS↓;at discharge/until death the APACHE II score ↓ |
Palli | 2017 | RCT | Needs for contrast-enhanced CT(60/64) | 2 g/d | N-Acetylcysteine 1200 mg/d | 2 h before and at 10 and 18 h after contrast agent | 18 h | Hospital mortality: 15/11 | Failed to reduce the incidence of CIN; |
Galley | 1997 | Quasi-RCT | Septic shock and need a vasopressor(16/14) | 1 g/d | N-Acetylcysteine and vitamin E | Unavailable | Unavailable | Hospital mortality: 11/8 | Beneficial hemodynamic changes. |
Nathens | 2002 | RCT | Undergoing general surgery/trauma (301/294) | 1000 mg q8 h | α-Tocopherol 1000 IU q8 h | At a mean time of 11.3 ± 6 h | 28 days | 28 days: 4/7 | Multiple organ failure↓, concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6↓, ICU and hospital stay ↓,ventilator-free days ↑ in treatment group. |