High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C May Benefit Trauma Patients

THURSDAY, July 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) — High doses of intravenous vitamin C may improve outcomes in trauma patients, according to a review published online June 30 in BMJ Military Health.

Nandesh Chandrakant Patel, M.B.Ch.B., from the Academic Department of Military Trauma & Orthopaedics in Birmingham, England, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the evidence of vitamin C use in adult trauma patients.

Based on six included studies (three of which were randomized controlled trials), the researchers found that patients receiving high-dose vitamin C may have significantly lower mortality and significantly reduced intensive care unit and hospital stays. In the vitamin C cohorts, lower rates of sepsis and organ failure were observed. The certainty of the evidence was limited due to a small number of methodologically heterogeneous studies.

“The pathophysiology of trauma, combined with the complementary mechanisms of vitamin C, could explain positive results, and provide a biological rationale for its use,” the authors write. “Further high-quality, adequately powered and specific randomized controlled trials and an understanding of its logistical feasibility are required soon before clinical use can be recommended in combat trauma patients.”

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