Effect of Intravenous Vitamin C, Thiamine, and Hydrocortisone (The Metabolic Resuscitation Protocol) on Early Weaning from Vasopressors in Patients with Septic Shock. A Descriptive Case Series Study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine in early weaning (within 48 hours) from vasopressor support in patients with septic shock. We also aimed to assess mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Study Design: We conducted a descriptive case series study of 50 patients with septic shock who were admitted in the ICU of the Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi in Pakistan from August 2017 until April 2018. Materials and Methods: The study included men and women (16 to 80 years of age) who were admitted to the ICU with septic shock. Data were analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 18.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Inferential analysis was done with the help of simple and multivariate binary logistic regression that generated unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR), respectively. Results: Of the 50 patients, 56% (N = 28) were male with a mean age of the respondents being 46.7 +/- 18.4. Eighty-four percent were successfully weaned off vasopressors within 48 hours. Median days in the ICU were reported as 8.3 (interquartile range (IQR) = 5). Primary bacteremia (34%) was the most reported cause of ICU admission. The most common vasopressor was norepinephrine and its mean dose was 21.6 +/- 10.7 microgram/min. The ICU mortality was observed at 52% (N = 26). Unadjusted OR showed a dose of norepinephrine, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, plasma procalcitonin, and plasma lactate to be significant predictors (p-value < 0.05), while the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) showed only a dose of norepinephrine to be a statistically significant predictor (AOR = 0.804, 95% CI = 0.674 - 0.960; p-value = 0.016). Conclusion: The administration of intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine to patients with septic shock was successful in early weaning from vasopressors. There was also a reduction in procalcitonin and lactate levels, as well as the SOFA score. Further trials are needed to determine whether the metabolic resuscitation protocol can become part of the treatment for septic shock.