Vitamin D and the Critically Ill - meta-analysis – April 2022

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Vitamin D Supplementation in Critically Ill Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Cureus. 2022 Apr 30;14(4):e24625. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24625
Sahib Singh 1, Sauradeep Sarkar 1, Kushagra Gupta 2, Amit Rout 1

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported conflicting outcomes with the use of vitamin D in critically ill patients. With reporting of newer RCTs, we conducted this updated meta-analysis. Electronic databases were searched for RCTs comparing vitamin D with placebo in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). A random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Eleven RCTs with a total of 2,187 patients (vitamin D: n = 1,120; placebo: n = 1,067) were included.
Vitamin D when compared to placebo was associated with the

• decreased duration of mechanical ventilation (SMD = -0.50; 95% CI = [-0.97, -0.03]; p = 0.04) and
• ICU stay (SMD = -0.60; 95% CI = [-1.03, -0.16]; p = 0.007)

without any difference in the

• mortality (RR = 0.85; 95% CI = [0.68, 1.04]; p = 0.12) and
• length of hospital stay (SMD = -0.21; 95% CI = (-0.51, 0.09); p = 0.18].

Subgroup analysis showed that

• parenteral vitamin D may reduce the risk of mortality (RR = 0.54; 95% CI = [0.35, 0.83], p = 0.005).

Vitamin D supplementation in critically ill patients

• decreases the duration of mechanical ventilation and
• ICU stay.

Further studies should identify specific groups of patients who will derive the most benefit from vitamin D supplementation.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

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This meta-analysis ignores dose size, frequency, when it is given, etc.

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VitaminDWiki - Trauma and surgery category contains

Trauma and Surgery category has 352 articles

Large dose Vitamin D before surgery was found to help by 35 studies
Vitamin D is needed before most surgeries – many studies and RCTs
4.8 X more likely to die within 28 days of ICU if low Vitamin D - Jan 2024
Sepsis is both prevented and treated by Vitamin D - many studies
Thyroidectomy and Vitamin D - many studies
Orthopaedic surgeries need Vitamin D – many studies
Cancer - After diagnosis   chemotherapy
TBI OR "Traumatic Brain Injury - 21 in title as of Sept 2022
Superbug (Clostridium difficile) Infections strongly associated with low vitamin D - many studies
Glutamine and Omega-3 have also been proven to help several traumas/surgeries
   Note: Vitamin D also prevents the need for various surgeries and Omega-3 prevents many concussions/TBI
Trauma and Surgery is associated with 22 other VitaminDWiki categories
  Such as loading dose 33, Mortality 23, Infant-Child 21 Intervention 19 Cardiovascular 13, Injection 13 in Sept 2022